A Drop in the Ocean
by AddisonSp
Summary: An unexpected surprise brings big changes for Lucy Castle, as she struggles with the prospect of no longer being the only child in her newly found parent's lives. How will Lucy cope? What will happen when an unwelcome visitor returns to their lives with vengeance? Sequel to Changes.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all! I warn in advance that life and work are busy, so I will try to update at least once a week. If I can do more, I will. I hope you enjoy, as this story is going to be packed with twists and turns for sure!**

**This story is a sequel to the story "Changes." You will definitely want to head over and read that first. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the major characters in this story, with the exception of Lucy. She's all mine. **

* * *

_**A drop in the ocean**_

_**A change in the weather.**_

_**I was praying that you and me might end up together.**_

_**It's like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert.**_

_**But I'm holding you closer than most.**_

'_**Cause you are my heaven.**_

_**- A Drop in the Ocean, Ron Pope**_

* * *

Lucy Castle, as her name had been legally changed to, was a thriving girl of nearly 7 years old. When she smiled, her missing teeth clearly showing, the room lit up; and with the holidays approaching soon, the girl was doing a lot of smiling lately.

In the cold December afternoons, when she wasn't taking her ballet lessons or singing lessons, and once her homework was done, she and Rick would work on various arts and crafts together. The first order of business was a multi-colored paper chain, so that Lucy could remove a link each day and count down the precious days until Christmas.

After that, they worked on making presents for everyone in the family. They found a material that resembled cement, and it enabled Lucy to cast her hand prints into it. They decorated the still wet material in glittery jewels and set it to dry. Once it was finished drying, she would paint it and they would attach a hook to the back so that Kate could hang it wherever she wanted to.

Alexis was getting a hand-made picture frame, and Martha a painted and glazed vase that Lucy made on the pottery wheel in her art class at school. All that was left was Rick, who was unaware that Lucy and Kate had been working together on painting a coffee mug for him.

She painted a picture of their family on the sides of the coffee cup, making Rick's head enormous and his legs little sticks. It was adorable, and Kate was going to get a kick out of telling him that even their daughter thought he had a big head. Any time she could get her hands on some of that wonderful, _lose the ego_ ammunition, she took it.

* * *

The family spent the summer growing accustomed to their lives together, as newlyweds and as a new family. There was a great sense of security in knowing that Lucy wasn't just a foster child, or someone they had temporary custody of. She was legally their daughter, for better or worse, and they were in it for the long haul.

With the fall came Lucy's entry into the first grade. Her progress was remarkable, and with regular therapy she continued to improve. There were still bumps in the road, nightmares, moments where the girl would become withdrawn and Rick or Kate would find her in the closet.

Instead of forcing her out of the small sanctuary, her therapist recommended that they transform the space into as comfortable a place as possible for Lucy to escape to. It was to serve as a place where she could go to feel safe, but also where her new parents could join her and help her express her emotions and fears.

The ultimate goal was that as Lucy learned to express herself, and felt safe doing so, the closet would become less and less of a necessity. So, they added a nightlight, soft blankets, and a small lamp that projected stars and planets onto the walls and the ceiling of the small space.

On occasion, Rick wondered if something similar wouldn't be good for Kate, who still had her own problems with emotional availability from time to time. He never made the suggestion though, as he figured he would like to live to see Lucy turn 7 in a few months.

* * *

Despite the annoyance or conflict between them from time to time, things between Rick and Kate were strong as ever. She prided herself in her developing ability to keep quiet during their _evening activities_, even when he drove her out of her mind. It became somewhat of a joke between them, both trying their best to make the other one lose control in the throes of passion, only to state authoritatively that there were children in the house when it happened.

Limbs were bit to stifle, pillows screamed into, showers on full blast and radios turned up, and they were happy with their success in toning it down without actually having to _tone it down_. Castle increased his involvement consulting on cases once Lucy returned to school in the fall, and their theory-building sessions were often the foreplay to their love-making sessions.

Both partners found it somewhat amusing and unexpected that they were married now, yet flirted with one another _more _than they did before they were a couple. Kate never imagined that the words, "I love it when you talk theory to me," would ever enter her bedroom activities. However, the not-so-subtle glances and the heated looks they shared when solving cases often provided the fuel to drive them insane with tension though the long days.

Kate would purposely walk closer than necessary, brush past him slowly and press against him in all the right places, and would always be sure to feign innocence when she would do so. Given his talents, Rick would use his arsenal of the spoken and written word, leaving suggestive undertones to their conversations and always making sure that she was the only one to comprehend his subtexts, no matter who else was around.

The result of their behavior was that on most nights they could barely wait for Lucy to go to bed before they made it to the privacy of their own room, and ripped each other's clothes off. They always used care, Kate making sure to take her pill like clockwork. Having more children was something that both were open to, just not anytime soon.

This had a large part in explaining why Kate nearly passed out with shock one cold, January morning when, much to her surprise and trepidation, two clear blue lines showed up on the pregnancy test she held in her shaking hand.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Greetings readers. Here is chapter 2. The fall semester is here with a vengeance, and therefore, delays in updates. _**

**_Disclaimer: I own the dvds, but I don't think that counts. They are not my creative or intellectual property. _**

**_Finally, please note that we are traveling back a few months for this chapter. We will go back to present time in chapter 3. _**

* * *

_October, 2013 -or-3 months earlier_

There were certain truths that Kate Castle had come to accept recently. First, motherhood was not easy. It wasn't that she thought that it would be, but she found that she wasn't prepared for everything that came along with it. Specifically, she wasn't prepared to be responsible when she was alone. Usually, she and Castle were partners in parenting. However, when he was away on book tours, such as the three week tour that stole him at the time, motherhood was not easy. She found herself stretched thin, constantly trying to battle her work schedule with the demands of Lucy's schedule.

Kate was certain that she would be there when her daughter woke and when she went to bed at night, which meant that she had very full and very busy work days; still, she was managing. It was Castle was gone, when the added constraints of getting Lucy to and from school and her various other activities were added, that Kate felt as if all the balls she was juggling would fall. It only worsened when Kate found herself sick, just four days into his absence. The sinus infection laid her up for nearly two weeks, but with the right antibiotics, she was feeling better in no time.

Martha and Alexis were both wonderful, as were Lanie and the boys on occasion, but Kate often felt that she wasn't doing enough. She felt as if she wasn't holding up her end of things when she couldn't be the mother she wanted to be for Lucy; the sort of mother Johanna Beckett was. The entire experience gave Kate a new-found respect for single-parents everywhere; including Martha, who raised a wonderful man, and Rick, who did an equally brilliant job with the young redhead currently with Lucy at Ballet practice.

It all led Kate to her second truth, when her husband was gone she missed him. She truly missed him. His absence was felt in every aspect of her life, from his empty spot in their bed, the absence of morning coffee that somehow tasted better when he handed it to her, their newly adopted daughter's sadness in his absence, even his absence in the precinct. She especially felt it at night before she fell asleep, when she longed to feel his hands roaming her body. Kate Beckett-Castle had a hole in her heart, and it was shaped like Rick.

She and Lucy had been counting the days down until his return for weeks. Each night she would read her daughter to sleep, and they would plan all of the fun things they were going to do as a family. When the day of his return finally came, she and Lucy planned a special dinner at the loft. Because he wasn't due to arrive until that evening, Lucy went to school and Kate kept herself occupied with work.

"The victim is Tracie Meyers, 37 of Soho." Ryan informed Beckett, who was kneeling over their victim. Her body had been discovered in Central Park, with blunt force trauma to the back of her head.

"She fits the profile Beckett." Esposito added, waiting for Kate to speak. She considered the body for a few moments before speaking.

"any witnesses?"

"none that we know of." Ryan answered.

"We have reason to believe that she would have been walking her dog though." Beckett spoke, more to herself than to anyone else.

The case they were working had been a tough one. Four victims, all mid to late 30s, and all women had been found in the local parks. Three had been spotted walking their dogs before they were killed; and although the fourth had no witnesses, she did have a dog that was now missing. In all four murders, there was a similar blunt force trauma, and a small breed dog missing.

There were no other connections between the victims, they did not know one another, worked in separate fields, and lived on separate sides of the city. It seemed that the only common link was that they walked their dogs in the park. She'd been at her wit's end, and had gone as far as to call Castle for his input. He had nothing, and now it appeared that there was another victim.

"Killing women for their small dogs. Why not just go to a shelter and adopt?" Lanie spoke sarcastically as she made notes on the most recent victim.

"Because, he can't!" Kate's head shot up from the victim upon hearing the familiar voice of her husband, he was quickly making his way across the grass as he continued to speak "he can't go to the shelter!"

Castle approached and offered his hand to Kate, who took it and pulled herself up. He was there, unexpected and holding a cup of coffee.

Despite the crime scene, the forensics team and the other detectives in the area, Kate couldn't wipe the smile from her face. He simply wrapped his palm around the back of her neck and pulled her closer, they kissed tenderly and she broke into a wide smile against his lips. Nobody seemed to mind the public display of affection, and if they did Lanie was sure to non-verbally intimidate anyone who objected.

Afterall, they were newlyweds and they'd been apart for weeks. The boys smiled as Castle and Beckett re-gained their composure and he continued to explain,

"What if he IS killing for the dogs, what if he can't get dogs from a shelter, so he kills for them?"

"Why would anyone kill for a dog?" Esposito challenged.

"Well, obviously the killer isn't stable. Who would take the time to_ take_ a dog. It has to be about the dog, otherwise pick a victim that doesn't have an animal guarding them." Castle continued.

As if falling into the same line of logic, "Animal cruelty!" She turned to face her husband, not quite able to completely remove her hand from his body and break contact.

"Yes! Someone who was cruel to animals, but loved them enough to kill in order to acquire more." Castle excitedly responded, inching closer to Kate as he spoke.

"A hoarder!"

"A hoarder who lost his dogs!" Castle added. "The story makes so much sense. A lonely and desperate man, all he has are his dogs. He collects them, he keeps them close; he can't stop. The dogs are everything to him. One day a neighbor sees and reports animal cruelty because he's been hoarding animals. Animal control comes out, a woman…mid thirties, like our victims…confiscates all of his dogs and he snaps." Stepping even closer to him, Kate takes over.

"He's going to get his babies back, and he'll do it by punishing the one who took them. He's targeting women like the one who removed them!"

Castle wore a grin as wide as the one on Kate's face, which was only inches from his own now. _God I've missed her_, he thought to himself as she inched ever closer once again. Despite the fact that they had an audience, something Kate tried to avoid, she moved to brush her lips softly against his one more time, parting them slightly to taste him.

Before she separated herself from him she whispered into his ear, "We'll continue our reunion later." Her sultry voice was just loud enough for him to hear, and carried a great deal of promise for more things to come.

* * *

At approximately 2:45pm Kate stood outside the brick building, waiting for the onslaught of school children that would soon run excitedly out the front doors into the welcoming freedom of the afternoon. She imagined that she was just as excited as Lucy would be in a few minutes when she discovered that Rick was there, his arms open to embrace his little girl.

They both smiled at each other, linking their pinkies as they waited for the bell to ring. "So, how have things been on the home front? Are you feeling any better?"

Castle knew that Kate had been struggling with a cold or infection of some sort, even if she didn't go into detail on the phone. He knew that she wouldn't want him to worry or cut his trip short, but he also knew how to read her voice and could hear the discomfort and exhaustion there.

She smiled at his question and replied, "much better, especially now that you're home," as he rubbed rhythmic circles against her back. "The bed has been really cold and empty without you in it though." Kate added, leaning her head against his shoulder and allowing herself to relax into his touch.

Deciding that the contact wasn't enough, Castle turned to face her and enveloped her in his embrace, kissing her forehead as he whispered, "Our bed will be nice and warm tonight, I promise." Kate slid her arms forward and rested her hands on his waist, bunching the material of his shirt in her fists as she smiled at his insinuation.

"Just warm, Mr. Castle?" She innocently asked, a hint of teasing in her tone.

"Oh, now, Ms. Castle, we can turn the heat up as high as you want it." He countered as he trailed his fingers up and down her spine. She simply laughed, brushing her lips across his cheek and to his ear, where she bit lightly on his lobe and whispered, "boiling."

"Perhaps we should put this on pause. I don't think the PTA would approve of my taking you in front of the school, Kate." She offered another laugh, before teasingly replying, "tease. "

He raised an eyebrow and prepared to respond when the bell rang. Both Rick and Kate turned to face the school and waited for Lucy. They spotted her, and waited for the moment to come when she realized that he was there waiting for her. When it did, the little girl's eyebrows shot up and her mouth fell open with a surprised gasp.

"I swear she's gotten taller since I've been gone." Castle spoke as he watched her running towards him, her ponytail swinging behind her. Kate simply laughed and rolled her eyes as Rick bent to his knees and waited for Lucy, with his arms outstretched.

The little girl threw herself at him, landing in his arms as he lifted and spun her around. She giggled happily as he planted sloppy kisses on her cheeks. "I missed my girl!" Castle spoke happily, smiling at her as he came to rest with Lucy on his hip.

"I missed you too." She spoke, unable to wipe the smile from her face. She laid her head against his shoulder and came to look at Kate. With a sweet smile on her face she spoke, "Hi mommy." Kate leaned in and kissed Lucy on her forehead. "Hi little one. How was your day?"

"It's better now that I am here."Rick replied before Lucy could answer. She simply laughed and nodded her agreement. They made their way back to the car together, Rick holding Lucy tight to him with one arm while he tried to hold Kate's hand with the other. When it became apparent that he would need both hands to hold Lucy up, and that the girl had no intention of being put down now that she was back in Rick's arms, he begrudgingly let go of Kate.

She smiled at him and laced her arm through his, understanding his need to touch them both. Afterall, it had been a very long several weeks for their family.

* * *

"That's great, book him." Kate spoke with satisfaction in her tone. Castle knew that when they'd left the precinct to get Lucy, the boys were identifying hoarders in the area had been raided by animal control. It quickly led them to identify a key suspect, who confessed after being discovered with the dogs that belonged to all of the victims.

Kate was amazed, a day that started out rather hopelessly, without a single lead, had turned into an open and shut case. All it took was the right story and all of the pieces fell into place. As she hung up the phone, she smiled at her husband.

"I knew it was a good idea to keep you around." Kate spoke teasingly. "you are so useful for all sorts of things." Castle simply smiled widely at her, removing the rest of the dishes from their dinner from the table. Both Alexis and Martha had joined them, eager to see Castle now that he was back in town.

Kate set her phone down and moved to help him in the Kitchen. "Mother and the girls are watching a movie. I figured it was a special night." Rick explained, afterall, Lucy did have school in the morning. Kate looked at her watch and shrugged, "I still say she'll be out like a light by 8:30." They both smiled as Rick nodded in agreement. Lucy wasn't much for staying up passed her bedtime. She loved to try it, but more often than not, she was out within 20 minutes.

This is why neither Kate nor Rick was surprised when they joined the family after finishing in the kitchen. Lucy, who Rick had gotten dressed for bed earlier, was passed out against Alexis. Kate smiled as she approached, "I'll take her."

As she lifted the sleeping girl Martha stood. "I suppose this is my cue as well, I've got plans and I'm somewhere dangerously close to crossing the line from fashionably late to just rude." Alexis stood too, waiting for her dad to plant a kiss against Lucy's forehead before allowing him to walk her to the door.

"You know you can always stay here Alexis. You are always home here." Rick liked to remind his daughter from time to time that she could always come home.

Alexis smiled at him, "I know dad. It's just easier to be at the dorm in the morning. I hate dealing with traffic and trying to find parking in the morning before class." He nodded at his ever rational daughter, giving her a hug and a kiss before locking the door behind her.

* * *

She quietly made her way across the dark bedroom, flipping on the switch for the rainbow nightlight. After tucking her in bed, ensuring that cotton candy bunny was nestled safe in her arms, and giving her a kiss goodnight, Lucy was as good as out for the remainder of the evening.

Sometimes when Kate would think back on all of the horrible things that Lucy witnessed, she considered the girl's ability to sleep through anything as a blessing. Hopefully, she was spared some of the less wholesome and more traumatic experience of her biological father because she'd slept so soundly.

After double checking that everything was good, she stepped out of the door and quietly closed it behind her. She was met in the hallway by Rick, who had just said goodbye to Alexis, and noted that the rest of the loft was dark. They walked calmly to their bedroom, Kate running her hands through her hair as if it would wipe the stress of the day away.

Their bedroom door clicked shut, the lock slid into place, and they were alone; eyes locked with intensity. In the next moment they were on each other. The calm and tired adults from moments before were now working themselves into a frenzy against their bedroom door. Clothing was shed, as they fought for access to more skin, hands, lips and teeth grazed while tongues tasted, leaving them both completely naked, skin to skin and breathless.

Kate let out a long, satisfied moan at the feeling of being against him once again. As he backed her to their bed, seeking her lips and clashing against them with heated fervor, he brought his hands to her back, palms spread out against the expanse of skin there.

She let herself fall onto the bed, completely unashamed to show her husband how he affected her, how much she'd missed him, and how much she wanted him. He watched her, her dark hair sprawled around her as she rested her head on his pillow, eyes glazed over slightly as she struggled with her own desire, legs parted invitingly in the center of their bed.

She was the picture of beauty and perfection, and of everything he'd ever wanted, and she was his wife. Sometimes he needed to remind himself that he'd gotten Kate Beckett to marry him. This beautiful creature, who for so long was denied to him in so many ways, was now bound to him for the rest of their lives, and was currently waiting for him, naked and ready for him in their bed.

He didn't give it much further thought, bringing himself onto his knees and then crawling up the bed to situate himself in the empty space she'd created just for him, only for him, between her legs. He simply allowed himself to lay on her, causing both to sigh deeply with satisfaction at the contact.

"I've missed you." Kate finally spoke, brushing her fingers lightly up and down his back.

"I've been dreaming of being back here again, with you. Like this." He responded before bringing his lips down to meet hers. Little else was spoken between them as he eased himself inside of her. In the dimly lit bedroom there was no need for words, as all that needed to be communicated was done through meaningful looks and tentative, loving caresses.

Kate sighed at the feeling, his lips were everywhere, his hands were everywhere, the way he stretched her out was delicious. In that moment she supposed to herself that she could endure his book tours, as long as their reunions felt _this _good. It wasn't long before his rhythmic thrusts began to undo her, spinning her higher and higher as she lost all coherent thought.

When she finally fell apart she took him with her, the clenching of her walls completely undoing his controlled movements and driving him over the edge. She ran her fingers through his hair, inhaling his scent deeply as he spilled himself inside of her. When he rolled himself off of her he took her with him, bringing them to rest on their sides with their legs intertwined. The last thing that crossed her mind before they fell asleep in one another's arms that night was,_ he's perfection, we're perfection_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters that you recognize from the show. **

* * *

She stood in the bathroom, trying to absorb the magnitude of what it meant to be holding the now clearly positive pregnancy test. Obviously, Kate suspected it was a possibility. At first she thought that she was putting on weight, but it didn't make sense, as it all seemed to go to her chest and stomach. It had only recently gotten to the point where she suspected it wasn't just weight, and that was only because the change in her body was accompanied by mood swings and sensitivity to smell.

She still couldn't contemplate the fact that she could actually be pregnant. Afterall, she had been continuously on birth control. Besides, the timing was horrible._ I can't do this now. I don't have time for this. Oh God, not now! _Tears welled in her eyes as it all hit her. She was going to have a baby.

It wasn't that Kate didn't want children, because she did. She wanted to have a family with Rick, but Lucy was still adjusting and her career was not conducive to pregnancy. _It was a bad idea to do this at work, _Kate thought to herself as she wrapped the pregnancy test in paper towels and placed it back in the box.

Pulling herself together, Kate splashed water on her eyes and made her way out of the bathroom and towards the elevator. The benefit of having picked up a test on the way to work that morning was that her best friend was easily within reach; Her best friend who was also a doctor and could discretely confirm her pregnancy with a blood test.

She entered the morgue quietly and waited for Lanie to finish the notes she was recording on their most current case. A mother of three was found dead in her garage, and apparently the groceries she'd stored there were all stolen. However, the rest of the house remained untouched. The doctor looked up from her current task and took Kate in, the detective looked as if she'd seen a ghost.

"I haven't gotten anything new yet," Lanie spoke, motioning toward the body on her table, "but something tells me you're not here to talk about the case." Kate simply stared at her for a moment, before looking around to confirm that they were the only two there. Heaven forbid a certain red-headed intern should hear this conversation before Castle did.

"Lanie, I need your help." Came her uncertain reply.

* * *

A few hours later Kate sat at her desk, looking at the results in her hands. Lanie's blood test had confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt that Kate was, in fact, expecting. In fact, Lanie was curious to know how far along Kate was, given how high the hormone levels in her bloodstream were. After promising her best friend that she would make an appointment soon, she simply waited.

She looked at the framed photos on her desk, a picture of she and Castle dancing at their wedding, another of their little family taken at the beach. Her favorite was the picture of Lucy, who was proudly displaying the missing tooth she had with a wide grin. Kate wondered how everything would change now that there was going to be a baby. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Castle approaching.

He startled her when he set the coffee cup down in front of her, taking his seat next to her desk and watching her carefully. Startled from her thoughts, she simply smiled at her husband, unsure of how to start this conversation. She was fairly certain that he would be happy about it. Afterall, he loved children and was a great father. Still, she imagined that the same concerns about Lucy would arise for him.

There wasn't much time to dwell though, as within moments of his arrival her phone rang.

"Hey Kate, we've got a fingerprint from our victim." Lanie informed her.

"Ok. Send me the information and we'll run it for a match." She answered.

Soon they had a name and an address, and all four of them were headed to check out their only person of interest, another mother in the neighborhood. They figured that the woman they sought to interview must have interacted with their victim within hours of her murder, and hopefully she'd seen something.

As she drove toward the quiet suburban neighborhood, she silently wondered to herself how she would go about telling Castle the news. _Should I just come out with it? Should I wait until I have more information? He'll want to go with me to the doctor_, I'm sure. She thought to herself as she gripped the steering wheel a little tighter and sighed to herself.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He asked her from the passenger seat. It was obvious to Rick that something was on his wife's mind, but he didn't like to probe too much while she was on the clock. Work was not the best context for heart-to-heart conversations afterall. Still, her silence was a bit concerning.

Kate simply smiled at him before replying, "Yeah, um…I think that perhaps we should see about having Alexis or Martha watch Lucy tonight. Maybe you and I can grab dinner and talk?" She asked him tentatively. This was definitely news that she couldn't keep from him, nor would she want to. Still, she didn't want him to remember the moment that she told him she was having his child to be while checking out a lead on a murder.

Castle simply nodded, somewhat uncertain of her mood and whatever it was she needed to talk about. When she turned to look at him she saw his expression. Taking his hand in hers she offered a squeeze, as if it would reassure him. Lacing their fingers together, she pulled his hand to her and kissed the back of it before letting go.

Taking her silent meaning he smiled, "I love you too Kate."

They pulled into the driveway of their destination, a house that, while clearly displayed a middle class lifestyle, looked very much like the other cookie-cutter homes on the block. Together they approached, Kate knocking at the door. When it opened they were greeted by a women in her early to mid-fourties, she appeared to be flustered, but was polite nevertheless.

They were invited in and offered a drink, and couldn't help but notice that the home was stockpiled with groceries as well. Shelves had been installed along the walls of the hallways, closets appeared to be filled too. _What the hell is it with the freaky collectors?_ Kate thought to herself, reflecting back on their dog hoarder from a few months back.

They questioned her, Castle noting the abundance of groceries and the coincidence that many products were reported missing from the victim's garage. With a single expression, the partners communicated non-verbally that they needed to explore what was going on with this woman; who was now clearly a suspect.

As she moved to the kitchen to prepare them some tea, Beckett pushed a door that was slightly ajar further open, it led to a garage. However, there was no car and the only household items found were more stockpiles of groceries.

"What the hell?" She whispered to Castle, "how could you possibly need all of this?"

"Maybe she is one of those extreme couponers, like on the TV shows." He suggested, checking out the expanse of non-perishables in the room. He was caught off guard when the door that Beckett had stepped through opened suddenly. The woman, who was supposed to be making their tea appeared with a family-sized container of laundry detergent in her hands.

Before he could warn her, He watched Kate's body lurch and spin, as the woman swung and made direct contact to the side of her head. Unable to get to her and break her fall, he could do nothing but watch as she spun into the shelf that she was standing closest to. Her head hit the sharp corner and she went down.

The woman behind her dropped the detergent and ran, escaping her home. Rick gave little thought to the woman, rushing instead to his wife. Kate, quickly regained consciousness, but was bleeding profusely from her temple. Without thought, Rick dialed for help and moved to cradle her head in his lap.

* * *

He sat in the waiting room of the hospital, waiting for the doctors to finish examining his wife. Soon Ryan and Esposito joined, informing him that the woman was picked up from a neighbor's home and was being charged with attacking Kate, as well as questioned as the lead suspect in their case. Shortly after Lanie and Alexis arrived, the doctor came out to update them.

"She's going to be just fine. She's alert, oriented and although she appears to have a minor concussion, there appears to be no further damage." Rick sighed, visibly relieved by the doctor's news. However, nothing could have prepared him for the doctor's next words.

"We've called a specialist down from obstetrics to be sure that there was no damage done to the fetus, but I imagine that everything will be fine, especially if she wasn't struck in the abdomen."

Castle simply stared at the man, stunned to silence. "Excuse me? Fetus?" He asked slowly, his mind starting to go into overdrive as the meaning of the doctor's words settled. "Kate is pregnant?"

The doctor paled considerably, "I'm sorry Mr. Castle, I assumed that you knew. She's not sure how far along she is, but she did tell us that she was pregnant." Lanie moved to place her hand on his arm,

"Castle, she just…" He cut her off, pulling away from her for a moment and directing his attention back to the doctor.

"Can I please see her?"

"Follow me." The doctor acquiesced, "I'll take you to her room."

He turned to the remaining people in the waiting room, "I'm…um…I'll just…"

"Go, bro." Esposito cut in and gave permission for Castle to leave them.

When he entered the room he saw her laying in a slightly elevated bed, a bandage attached to her temple. He simply stared at her, unsure of what to say. Kate watched his behavior and took his silence as an opportunity to reassure him.

"I've got a hell of a headache, but I'll be just fine." She informed him, going on, "but there is something that I have to tell you Rick." She couldn't believe that she was going to have to tell him from a hospital bed, it certainly wouldn't do anything for ether one of their nerves. However, she was waiting on an OBGYN and he was going to figure things out very soon.

However, before she could finish her thought he spoke. "You're pregnant?" His voice was shaky, his tone careful, confused and a bit hurt. Her eyes watered, filled with shame at the thought of him thinking that she'd kept another secret from him.

"Castle, I just found out this morning. I'd just confirmed the news when we got the lead, I was going to tell you tonight. Rick, I didn't know before today." She pleaded with him to understand that she was not attempting to hold this back.

He moved closer to her, seating himself at the edge of her bed and wrapping his arms around her. Kate let out a sigh of relief, allowing him to pull her against him. "Say something." She spoke after a few minutes, unable to take his silence anymore. "Are you happy?" He asked her, still a level of uncertainty in his voice. "Do you want this?" He added.

She smiled softly, looking down to where their hands were joined together. "I'm scared, and I'm shocked, but yes Rick. I do want this." He squeezed her a little tighter, planting a kiss onto the top of her head. "You could have been seriously hurt today, the baby…" He broke off. There was no need to state the obvious.

"I know. I understand what was at stake. Had I thought that there was danger I would have called for backup, I wouldn't have…" She never finished her sentence. They both understood. Castle simply slid his hand down and rested it against her belly. How had she gotten pregnant? She was vigilant about not missing a single pill. As if reading his thoughts she answered him,

"I don't know. I don't understand how or when this could have happened. Lanie suggested that I might be pretty far along though, because my hormone levels were through the roof." She then lifted her shirt, watching as Rick rested his large palm against her bare stomach. "Although I do have a belly now, but it's not _that_ noticeable. I just didn't think…"

"Yeah, there's a slight little curve here," Castle smoothed his hand over a slight rise in her abdomen, just above her hip bones. "But it could also be the product of too many bearclaws." He added.

She smirked and smacked at his hand, "watch it writer-boy." She warned him.

"Writer-boy? Boy? Don't you mean writer-man?" Rick whispered huskily into her ear, "afterall, my virile seed knocked you up." She couldn't control the giggle that she released at his words, but the movement and the laughter caused her to grimace as pain shot through her head again.

A knock sounded at the door and a woman, looking about Beckett's age, entered. She approached and smiled at the couple, extending her hand to Kate first and then to Rick. "Hello. I'm doctor Miller. I was sent down to give your baby a check-up."

Kate nodded. "How far along are you?" The other woman asked.

"I don't know. I just found out this morning that I was pregnant. I took an at-home test and my best friend, who is a doctor, confirmed with a blood test. I haven't had a chance to make any appointments though." Kate felt the need to explain, but the doctor simply smiled.

"Well, congratulations. It's been an eventful day for you!" She asked Kate when her last menstrual cycle was, and although she couldn't recall one after September, she explained to the woman that it was not abnormal for her to go long periods of time without having a period.

Castle moved from the bed to a chair and waited as the doctor examined her. She did a pelvic first, and after taking a few minutes to examine her, spoke, "Ok. I think you're far enough along here for us to use the ultrasound to listen for a heartbeat. There are some things I want to check out too."

"Is everything ok?" Kate asked, making herself comfortable as she adjusted and readied herself for the sonogram.

"Yeah, I just want to get a better look, hear the heartbeat." The doctor spoke kindly, her tone bringing Kate's anxiety to rest.

Castle held her hand as the cold gel was spread across her abdomen and the wand was placed there. Soon the room was filled with the sound of swooshing and beating. He leaned in to place a kiss on her lips, "that is the sound of our baby, Kate." He spoke, amazed.

She smiled against his lips, she listened as the doctor began to explain the image on the screen. "Ok. It looks like you're about 10 weeks, give or take. Everything looks good and I can see that the babies appear to be completely healthy."

They both smiled again, lost in the magic of the moment. They couldn't believe it. They were going to have another child, Kate's first baby. So much had changed in just a day and it was a bit overwhelming.

Their expressions soon fell though, as they finally absorbed the doctor's statement, seemingly at the same time. They both turned to look at the screen, swallowing nervously. Castle looked back to the doctor, who was still looking at the image of Kate's uterus, cleared his throat and spoke.

"Um. Excuse me? Did you just say _babies_?"

* * *

**How is that for an overwhelming day? :) More soon, and the twists and turns haven't started yet! **


	4. Chapter 4

"Um. Excuse me? Did you just say _babies_?" He looked blankly at the doctor, and then back to Kate. Her reaction matched his perfectly, down to the gaping expression. Surely she'd misspoken.

"Yeah, I think I heard the plural there." Beckett added, waiting for the doctor to correct herself. She didn't.

"Yes, that's right. You've got two distinct implanted embryos-or fetuses for that matter." She pointed to the screen and showed them two distinct blobs, "each is complete with their own amniotic sac. You're most definitely having twins, fraternal twins to be exact."

The doctor turned back to the couple, both simply stared at her in complete shock, mouths hanging open as if they'd been told some scandalous piece of information. Taking it in stride, she continued, "Do you know the difference between identical and fraternal twins?"

"I…um… refresh my memory." Castle spoke. Beckett was still at a loss for words, staring at the screen and the two tiny beings that were currently taking up residence in her body.

"Identical twins happen when a single egg is fertilized by a single sperm. Early along in the division process, the egg splits into two, and both continue to grow and develop as genetically identical, yet separate infants. Identical twins will always be the same gender, as they came from the same sperm." The doctor then turned back to the image on the screen.

"You, on the other hand, are carrying fraternal twins. That is, during the month you got pregnant you ovulated and released two eggs instead of one. Both were fertilized, each by a different sperm, and both embryos implanted within your uterus. Fraternal twins will not necessarily look alike, and they are not necessarily the same gender. In fact, they are no more similar than any other two siblings, except that they develop at the same time."

Kate finally spoke up. "So, you're saying that in addition to somehow failing with birth control pills, my body managed to produce more than one egg?" She was dumfounded, still trying to wrap her brain around the fact that she was pregnant. Now twins were thrown into the equation.

"Well, hyper-ovulation is more common than you would think. As far as the birth control goes, even missing one day can throw you off. Further, it becomes increasingly common to conceive twins as women progress in age. Your likelihood of having multiple births increases substantially by virtue of being in your 30s." The doctor then watched as the gravity of the news finally sunk in and the couple came to terms with everything.

Castle took Kate's hand into his own and kissed the back of it. His shock gave way to a grin, which was reflected by Kate as they leaned their foreheads together and sighed. "Twins," they spoke together.

* * *

It took a lot of convincing for the hospital to release Kate that night. They did so only because they knew that she would be supervised. Although she showed no signs of complications, the fact that she'd temporarily lost consciousness was enough for the doctor to suggest observation. Therefore, after promising that she would be taken care of, and would call if she reported any dizziness or vomiting, she was allowed to leave.

They entered the loft, Rick offering support to Kate by holding his hand firmly to the small of her back. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she thought about how utterly over the top he was going to be over the next several months. He was doting before, now she was carrying not just one, but two of his children. It was going to be unbearable and a part of her loved it.

Martha and Lucy greeted them at the door, Lucy running into Kate's arms as soon as she saw her. Rick urged the girl to be gentile and led them both to the couch. He updated Martha on the events of the day, casually dropping into the conversation that the babies were fine. The older woman nearly had a heart attack, but was beside herself with joy.

"Oh, darling! How wonderful! Not one, but two more grandchildren to spoil!" She animatedly whispered to her son as they stood in the kitchen. He was sure to keep their words quiet, as tonight was not the time to tell Lucy, who was currently in her pajamas on the couch, having cuddle time with Kate.

"I know, right? Isn't it awesome?" Castle spoke excitedly before adding, "Maybe this time we'll get a boy. I'm outnumbered here." He smiled brightly at the thought of having a son to play with, before remembering once again that there were _two _babies. The fact continuously filled him with wonder.

"So, how did Alexis take the news?" Martha asked interestedly.

"She is beyond excited. She can't believe that there are two either, but she can't wait." He was beyond relieved that Alexis took it so well, she'd even requested a copy of the sonogram while they were still at the hospital. "I think that we're all really happy, although on the same page in that the news should be broken very carefully to a certain someone." He added, motioning to Lucy.

"As long as she knows that her place in this family is secure, I think she'll be ok, kiddo." Martha commented, watching as Lucy moved to place a kiss against the bandage on Kate's head. With that, both adults moved to join Kate and Lucy in the living room.

"She was just kissing it better." Kate explained, as their daughter laid both of her small hands on Kate's cheeks. "Mommy fell down and got hurted. When I fall down she kisses it and makes it better." Lucy explained, completely sure in the logic behind her behaviors.

"It feels so much better already, little one. You're hugs and kisses always make me feel better." Lucy smiled, satisfied that her special brand of medicine was effective. She curled herself back into Kate's lap, pulling the detective's arms around her small body and snuggling herself deeper into her embrace.

"I was telling Lucy that the doctors just wanted to check me out because I bumped my head, but that everything was going to be ok. She was scared when I didn't come home," She added sadly, rubbing soothing circles into the girl's back. Lucy nodded somberly in agreement, holding tighter to her adopted mother.

Rick could see the myriad of emotions crossing Kate's face as she held Lucy tighter. He could see the sadness, the guilt and the uncertainty that she was feeling. He didn't need to ask her to know what she was currently thinking. He knew that she was once again doubting her work, the danger she found herself in so often. He wouldn't lie and say that he didn't have the same worries, but he also knew that being a cop and being a mother were not things that Kate should ever have to chose between. He assured himself that he would do everything in his power to see that she could do both.

Still, changes were going to be made now that she was pregnant. There could be no more close calls, there was too much on the line now. If it were up to him, she'd be placed on desk duty now, but he knew that she would never go for that. Some sort of compromise would have to be reached soon. Kate would have to find ways to be a detective without putting herself in harm's way.

The serious expression on his face told Kate that he was thinking along the same lines as her. There could be no more near-misses. She couldn't bear to think about what it would do to Lucy, and she would never forgive herself if their precious babies were hurt before they'd even had a chance at life. No, Kate knew that changes were going to be made. Nothing was going to be the same again.

* * *

Later that night, after Lucy had been tucked into bed and kissed goodnight, they lay in bed together. Their bodies were close and their limbs intertwined. Kate sighed happily at the feel of Castle's warm hand, his palm flat against her slightly swollen abdomen. Now that they knew the changes in her body were due to babies, and not bear claws, he found it even harder than usual to keep his hands to himself.

"After your book tour." Kate spoke, somewhat out of the blue.

"I'm sorry, what?" Castle asked her to elaborate.

"It must have happened after the book tour, the timing would be right." He nodded at her,

"Do you think the change in routine caused you to miss a pill or something?"

"No." She spoke, somewhat put off. "I didn't miss a pill. I never miss a pill."

"Ok. You didn't miss your pill." Heaven forbid Beckett be wrong, he thought to himself. He didn't dare say it though, instead he questioned, "Were you on something else? Something that would have interacted with the pill?"

Realization hit Kate, "Oh my God. That's it! Castle, I had a sinus infection while you were gone. When you got back I was finishing up the antibiotics!"

"Ah!" He added, "they can neutralize birth control."

"They did! Antibiotics can make birth control ineffective. I didn't even think about it!" She was relieved to suddenly have answers, but felt foolish that it didn't occur to her to use extra precautions.

As if sensing her thoughts, Castle kissed her gently. He grinned widely at her, "I'm glad."

She sighed and kissed his lips softly, "me too."

They held one another in silence for a few moments before Castle couldn't contain his excitement.

"Kate, we're actually having a baby. We're having babies. We're having a litter!" He spoke animatedly.

"Did you just say that I was having a litter?" She asked, a tone of mock-indignation in her voice. She rolled her eyes and slapped his hand lightly, "I'm not a dog, Castle."

"You're definitely not a dog. You're all woman. You're hot, sexy, fertile and mine, and you're having my babies." He spoke again, flirtingly as he leaned down to line kisses along her stomach.

"Although," he added, "right now they sort of look like little aliens. Ooh, I wonder if they have the power of telepathy. Maybe they can read your thoughts…Ooh…or control your thoughts!"

He then did his best Arnold Schwarzenegger impression, "Come with me if you want to live." She smiled and rolled her eyes as he planted more kisses up and down her stomach. He made his way up her sides and back to her bump, adding another impression, evidently for the babies "get your ass to Mars."

"So you jumped from dog, to mind-controlling aliens." Kate admonished him lovingly, "I hope they have your imagination." She added.

"And your looks." He threw in, making her smile.

"Hmmmm." She moaned, enjoying the feather light touch of his grazing fingers as he continued to kiss her.

"I'm having a litter of Castle babies," she added lightly.

He paused for a moment at her words, before they both abruptly broke into a fit of laughter.


	5. Chapter 5

Greetings readers. I've got chapter 6 nearly complete and hope to post it over the next few days. Stuff starts to happen soon...interpret as you like ;-)

Disclaimer: I don't own them and take no credit for them...Save Lucy and the wonder twins.

Enjoy!

* * *

It was early Saturday morning when Lucy awakened. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, the girl padded softly out of her bedroom and down the stairs. She smiled with excitement when she saw her parents working happily in the kitchen. The scent of bacon filled the room and she giggled as she watched Rick, whom she now simply called 'daddy', flip a pancake from the griddle and into the air.

Upon hearing the laughter coming from the staircase, both Castle and Beckett turned to see Lucy's little face, peaking happily over the railing. She continued down the stairs, clad in her fluffy pink pajama pants and top, which almost matched the shade of cotton candy, the beloved stuffed bunny she carried under her arm.

Kate opened her arms wide and enveloped her in a warm embrace, allowing the child to wrap her legs around her waist and rest her head against her shoulder.

"Pretty soon you'll be too tall for me to pick you up, little one." Kate teased her lightly and planted a kiss at the tip of her nose, earning an amused giggle from the ticklish girl. She squealed even louder in the next moment, when Rick took her by the waist and turned her to face him, holding her in his arms much like Kate had just done.

"Yeah, but you won't be too tall for me." He placed butterfly kisses on her cheeks and against her eye lashes.

"Yes, I will." Lucy happily argued.

"You will?" Kate asked in a mock-surprised tone. "You're going to be taller than daddy?"

"Yeah." She giggled. "I'm going to be the tallest person in the world!" She exclaimed, glad that her parents were playing along with her little game.

"Wow. I think we're going to need taller ceilings, don't you mama?" Castle turned to Kate, asking seriously and earning himself an eye roll from his wife.

"I suppose we could always rent a barn for her, or she could sleep outside with the giraffes at the zoo." Beckett suggested, earning an excited nod from Lucy.

"I'll sleep with Melman." She told him in a very matter-of-fact tone. "And I'll stay up all night with Marty, Alex and Gloria." She told her parents.

"I think somebody is glad that we stayed up late to watch Madagascar last night." Kate informed Rick, "and now that we've got plans for what we will do with Lucy when she's much older and taller, how about some breakfast?" She smiled and leaned in to her husband, tenderly catching his lips with her own as he continued to cradle Lucy.

"Eew." She stated, watching them kiss and simply smile at her remark, kissing again. "That's why you have a bedroom." She told them seriously.

Kate, stunned by her daughter's words, pulled back suddenly and looked at her. Her mouth open,

"Who told you what we do in our bedroom, Lucy?"

"Mommy." Lucy told her, with a somewhat authoritative tone in her voice, "I'm almost 7. I'm not a little kid anymore. I know that you hug and you kiss, and you watch movies."

Setting her down, Rick nodded, "That's right Lucy, and that is all we do. That is also all you'll ever do… until you're 30." He patted her head with the palm of his hand, lightly shaking it so that it looked like Lucy was agreeing with his statement.

"What else would I do?" She asked suspiciously, throwing her hand on her hip with a little too much attitude.

"You would sleep, Lucy. You would sleep." Kate interjected, putting an end to the conversation, "now help me set the table for breakfast."

"I'm just saying, that or a convent Kate." Rick noted seriously. He was uncomfortable of thinking about Alexis as a woman, he surely wasn't ready to imagine Lucy all grown up. _For the love of God, those babies better be boys, or I'm investing in firearms and devices of torture. _He shook his head at the thought.

Kate stepped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She dropped her chin on his shoulder and kissed him lightly on the neck. "What are you thinking now, Castle?"

He took a deep breath and let it out, "I'm thinking about the supplies I am going to need to buy before Lucy brings a boy home for the first time. Heaven forbid there are girls in there." He said, motioning to her stomach. Lucy was at the table and could not hear their whispered exchange.

"Castle, seriously? She's not even 7, and these two?" She placed her palm over her abdomen, "even if they are girls-or even if one is a girl, they're about the size of grapes. I don't think that anyone will be hitting on them anytime soon."

"They _better_ not. They don't want to make me angry" He spoke threateningly, earning himself a swat from Kate.

"Finish the pancakes, Incredible Hulk, and feed your family." She swatted his behind and joined Lucy at the table, taking a sip of her orange juice.

"So, little one, we're going to have fun today." Kate told her excitedly. "Guess where we're going!" She watched Lucy's eyebrows raise in interest, as a grin spread across her face. "Where?" The girl whispered.

"We're going to go to the zoo!" Rick informed her happily as he set the food on the table and took his seat. Lucy bounced excitedly, lifting her hand in the air triumphantly.

"We can visit your future home and say hello to Melman." Castle teased her. She simply scrunched up her face and stuck her tongue out at him, smiling again as she lifted a piece of pancake from her plate to her mouth.

* * *

She sat on the park bench, scrolling through the pictures she'd taken earlier in the day on her digital camera. Monkeys, zebras, birds, alligators and so many other walks of life were all right there for Lucy to see. She couldn't contain her excitement as she pointed to the lions, making sure that both Castle and Beckett saw the same things that she was seeing. Kate's favorite picture by far though was one she'd taken of Rick, who was holding Lucy up high enough for her to feed the giraffe. It was a small price to pay, having a zoo attendant provide appropriate plant life for the girl to hold to the animal. Kate snapped the picture just as Lucy scrunched her face and giggled, feeling the slime of the giraffe's tongue on her hand as she fed it.

She smiled once again and looked back up from the camera, watching as Rick and Lucy made their way through the park and back to where they'd left her. Feeling quite tired, Kate decided to wait on a bench while Rick got hot chocolate for the three of them. It was too cold for ice cream, and Kate didn't want coffee if she couldn't have regular. She knew that she'd have to give decaf a chance if she was going to have her favorite beverage at all during the next 27 weeks.

The doctor informed them that twin pregnancies were considered full-term at 37 weeks, and given that she was 10 weeks along, she expected to hold her babies in her arms in mid-June. She smiled at the thought as she rubbed her belly absent-mindedly, sighing as Castle approached and handed her the wonderful, warm liquid.

She felt nervous, they'd gone out that day with the goal of having some family time with Lucy. However, they also had big news for the girl, and didn't know how she was going to receive it. She reflected at the expression on her husband's face and saw the same trepidation there. She knew that it was time to tell the girl.

Castle sat on the bench and Kate held out her arms, inviting Lucy to sit on her lap. As she felt the girl snuggle into her, she couldn't help but think that within a few months she would be too big to have Lucy on her lap. The thought was disturbing and exciting at the same time. She looked up and her eyes caught Castle's. Silently, they agreed that it was time.

With a deep breath, Kate took the lead.

"Lucy, baby, we brought you out here today because there is something that we want to tell you."

Lucy nodded, turning her head to study Kate's face as she listened. "Sweetie, you are going to be a big sister."

Lucy's eyes grew wide and she turned to Castle, unsure if Kate was telling her the truth. He nodded to her, affirming that it was true. Lucy turned back to Kate, looking down at her stomach.

"There's a baby in your belly?" She asked, her voice filled with a mixture of awe and uncertainty.

"well, actually, there are two babies in my belly." Kate answered her. Lucy's mouth dropped.

"two babies in your belly? At the same time?" Her mouth dropped open in shock.

"They are going to be your little brothers or sisters, Lucy." Castle spoke, taking the little girl's hand. Lucy simply stared back at him with wide eyes, clearly unsure of the truth behind his words. She didn't respond to his comment and instead turned back to Kate.

"When do the babies come out?" she asked.

"Well, they have to stay in there a while longer. They need to be safe and warm in my tummy so that they can grow big and strong. They won't come out until the summer time, little one." Kate reassured her, hoping that the girl would be comforted by the fact that they weren't coming tomorrow.

"Are the babies little girls or little boys?" Lucy asked.

"We don't know yet." Rick responded, "they are so small that we can't see. We'll know when they get bigger."

Lucy was silent for a moment, fidgeting with the material on Kate's jacket as she took in the news of the pregnancy. After a few minutes, she finally looked back up to her parents.

"When they come home, do you think Alexis will let me stay with her?" Lucy asked, her voice nearly breaking. Kate leaned back, her brow furrowing as she examined Lucy's worried face. "Baby," she asked, "why would you need to stay with Alexis?"

Lucy's face crumbled and her voice broke as she answered in a high-pitched voice, faltering as tears began to fall, "because there won't be any room with two babies, and they will need my room." She wiped her face with the back of her hand before finally crying out,

"Please don't make me go back to the cold house with the mean lady. I don't want to go back there." Rick moved closer and pulled Lucy so that she could grab onto he and Kate as they both held her close. Their hearts broke as once again, they were reminded of just how difficult Lucy's life was before them. They'd been to therapy, and had been warned that there would be uncertainties, and setbacks, but watching their girl fall apart was too much to take.

"Baby girl," Rick spoke, leaning in to kiss the back of her head, "listen to me now." He inhailed sharply to gain control of his own emotions before he continued, "you are home with us. You will always be home with us, and we will never let you go." Lucy paused, but did not look up from where her head was buried between them.

"Lucy," Kate spoke, "when we signed those papers, it meant that you were our daughter forever. Do you remember?" Lucy nodded, her breath still hitching as she shook with tears. Beckett continued, "Even if I brought 10 babies home, you will always be our Lucy. Even if you didn't grow in my tummy, you are my sweet girl. Nobody could ever replace you and our family would never be whole without you."

Castle began to rub soothing circles into the girl's back, kissing the crown of her head before he added, "Lucy, we'll buy a bigger house if we run out of rooms. There will never, ever be a time when we give you back. Do you understand sweetie?"

Lucy finally stilled. She lifted her head back to look at her new parents. Kate, whose heart was broken by the sobs of her little girl, wiped the tears from her eyes and kissed her forehead gently. "Besides," the detective added, "if you went away, who would help Alexis with all the duties that come with being a big sister?" Lucy studied Kate for a moment before asking,

"Like what?" She asked.

"well," Kate began, "big sisters play with their little brothers and sisters, and they help them, protect them and keep them safe." She ran her hand through Lucy's hair soothingly and smiled at her, reassuring the child of her role in the family.

"Plus," Rick added, "someone needs to show them how to color, build blocks, play with the bath toys, and most importantly, to play laser tag!" Lucy finally smiled.

"and in the mean time, I could use someone to help me out while the babies grow. I need someone to help me pick clothes and toys for the babies, and to pick decorations for their room. Plus, when they are born, I could really use your help to hold them gently and rock them to sleep at night." Kate kissed Lucy's cheek.

"Do you see Lucy, only a big sister can do some of those things, and Alexis is away at college. We couldn't do all of this without you, they are going to need their big sister and we are going to need our Lucy." With Kate's final word, Lucy finally nodded and smiled.

"They are going to need a big sister." She spoke.

"Absolutely," Rick agreed, "and only you can be their Lucy. There is no other you. Can you do that for us? Can you be the best big sister in the world?"

Lucy smiled wider and nodded again, "Alexis will have to show me how, 'cause she is the bestest."

Kate and Rick both laughed at her words, relieved that she was coming around. "How about we invite her over for dinner tonight, she can give you all sorts of tips."

"Can we build a fort in the living room?" Lucy asked excitedly.

"Not only can we build a fort," Kate spoke, "but we can also order a pizza!"

"Yay! With pepperoni!" Lucy exclaimed, jumping off the bench and reaching for Kate's hand. Beckett stood to join her, finishing her coco and dumping her and Lucy's cup in the trash. Rick soon followed suit and when they were ready, they each took one of Lucy's hands.

"Do you think the babies will like pepperoni?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Judging by my cravings for spicy food, I think they already do." Kate joked as the three left the park, making their way home for the evening.

On a final note, as they walked home Lucy added, "I'll help, but I don't do stinky diapers."

* * *

Big changes coming in the next chapter. Virtual lolly pop for any reviewer who can correctly guess who the unwanted visitor will be ;-)


	6. Chapter 6

**Props to **_**Always-Snow**_**, whose name always makes me think of Ginnifer Goodwin (must be the snow part). Your first guess was correct. You have the first choice of virtual lolly pop flavor. Now, on with the story. ;-)**

* * *

He laid her out gently, placing her hands peacefully over her stomach. He loved how they always looked, so peaceful. She looked like an angel and it filled him with an inner sense of calm. When he thought about it, this really was his favorite part. Gentle hands and creamy skin, blonde hair laid out gently around her. He loved the smooth, pale skin and how it contrasted with the sharp, red markings left on their necks. It always made him feel as if he were leaving them with a bright necklace. A parting gift, as it were.

He wanted to stay longer, but knew that he had to go soon. It never did well to dwell afterall. Plus, he'd only been in the city for a few days, and he had big plans for the remainder of the week. Feeling the calm release that he always did after he finished his work, he made one single change. He left a card within the woman's hands.

Unlike before, he had no reason to hide his evidence. There was no reason to remove finger prints and no worry of leaving forensic evidence behind. He wanted them to know who he was. He wanted them to know that he was back. Most of all, he wanted Richard Castle to know he had a message for him.

The man laughed softly to himself, feeling as if all was right with the world. As he left the woman's apartment, the most pressing thing on his mind was what he would get for dinner; that, and who he would pick to send his next message.

* * *

Kate Beckett-Castle stared at her figure in the mirror. It was hard to believe that she could sprout a belly so quickly. However, it seemed as if that was exactly what had happened over the past weeks. The differences between weeks 10 and 16 were remarkable. She'd read that this often happened, and the belly was especially marked when twins were on the way. Still, she was amazed that six weeks ago she didn't know she was pregnant, and now it was impossible to hide it. She felt as big as a house.

Lucy was amazing after being reassured that her place in the family was not threatened. The first time they went shopping, and the girl was able to look at the cute little baby clothes, she became a little excited over the prospect of tiny babies coming along.

Rick and Kate encouraged this by purchasing a "real baby" doll for Lucy to hold and rock. They'd gotten clothes and blankets for the doll, and a little crib for it to sleep in. Lucy loved the doll, whom she named _Penelope_. She took her pending role of older sister very seriously and practiced every day. It was a relief for Kate to see that Lucy was adjusting to the changes their family was going through.

Rick stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, resting his hands on her belly, and planting kisses along her neck. "Good morning beautiful," he kissed her again before he added, "good morning little Castle babies."

Kate smiled softly as she took in their reflection. Sometimes it still amazed her that they were in this place together. "I resisted you for four years, so sure that everything would be destroyed if I caved in and followed my desires." She spoke to him, "and now, here we are."

"I am your husband, you are my wife, we have a daughter, and two on the way." Castle spoke, "we're a family and I've never been happier." She leaned her head against his, turning to meet his kiss and smiling against his lips, "me too, writer-man." Castle smiled, pulling back to look at his wife as he spoke.

"We should be a super-hero team. Writer-man and knocked up cop! He's amazing and she's lactating. Saving New York one scum bag at a time." He tilted his head up to the ceiling as he spoke, bringing one hand to his hips and taking a comic book hero stance.

Kate rolled her eyes and gently elbowed his stomach, "don't forget Lucy and the wonder twins."

"Of course not my love. The fabulous fetuses." Rick spoke as he placed another kiss against his wife's lips. He then leaned back, his writer's mind taking over, "fetuses? Would you pluralize that as _Feti_?" Beckett simply laughed, "I think I prefer Lucy's names for them over _Feti_."

Lucy, in her excitement over Kate's growing belly, refused to simply call them 'baby A' and 'baby B' as the doctor was. Instead she dubbed baby A, as "potato chip" and baby B as "princess buttercup."

"Fine." Castle huffed, "but they're going to have a hard time learning to spell their names." He smiled as he earned yet, another eye roll from his wife that morning.

Kate had to finish getting dressed, grab breakfast and wish Lucy a good day before she left, and she didn't want to be late to work. Part of her re-negotiated duties since revealing her pregnancy to Gates was that she could go to crime scenes, to the lab, and work the murder board. However, any and all visits to suspects were prohibited, as was just about all other field work. Kate knew if she overdid it, or showed fatigue that Gates would further reduce her job duties. The last thing the detective wanted to do was give her boss fuel by showing up late for work.

She cracked the door to Lucy's room, wanting to grab a kiss and hug before she left. However, when the scene in the girl's room unfolded before her, she had to stifle a laugh.

There, on the floor, was Lucy and her doll, and her now oversized cat, Mr. Peanut, wearing one of the doll's dresses. The cat, who was not impressed with his current situation, simply let out a 'Mrrrooow', turning to Kate in contempt as he whipped his tail angrily back and forth.

"Lucy," She spoke authoritatively, "What have we told you about putting clothes on the cat?"

"But mommy, people put clothes on their dogs all the time. Besides, Mr. peanut likes his bonnets." Kate simply stared at the animal again, his ears covered by the frilly bonnet. "Lucy, undress the cat and come say goodbye to me. Then it's time for you to get dressed for school." The girl sighed, but did as she was told.

Kate stepped out of her room and covered her mouth, finally letting a laugh escape from her mouth. Castle simply stared at her in confusion as he made his way up the stairs with her cup of coffee in hand. In answer to his silent question, she simply stated, "that scene, in there? That is all your doing."

Rick handed her the coffee and peaked into Lucy's room, pulling his head back and laughing quietly himself. "Why is that my doing?"

"Because every crazy and odd-ball thing any of our children do will always be because of you-by default." She answered him with a grin as she passed him and made her way down the stairs.

Several minutes later Lucy made her way down the stairs, dressed for school and holding a brush out for Kate. "Mommy, can you braid my hair. I love it when you do it." She simply smiled and took a seat, motioning for Lucy to come and sit at her feet.

Soon the girl had two matching pigtail braids. Both walked back to the table and ate breakfast quickly, Kate sipping her decaf as Castle swiped her hair to the side and placed a kiss at the base of her neck,

"Your hair has been growing so fast lately." He commented to her, noting one of the many changes her body had encountered in the past several weeks. "I think it grows an inch every time I feel movement, which is all the time now." When Kate read traditional pregnancy books, they always told her that she shouldn't really expect to feel the babies until about week 18. However, twins seemed to amplify everything, and it felt as if they were practicing their ninja skills on one another in there.

She stood and kissed Lucy on the cheek, before moving to Rick and kissing him softly on the lips. "Have a good day at school love." She spoke to Lucy. She turned to Castle as she finished pouring her coffee into a travel mug, "I'll see you in a few hours." He nodded to her, planning to go down to the precinct after Lucy was in school.

* * *

_"Sweet Caroline…bah, bah, bah…good times never seemed so good. I've been inclined to believe they never would."_

Richard Castle sang loudly to the stereo in his car as he made his way from Lucy's school back into traffic. The early morning was always a hassle, and Manhattan traffic was bad regardless what time it was. It was times like this that he truly understood why so many New Yorkers chose to go carless.

He estimated that he was about 30 minutes from the precinct, possibly longer given gridlock. If it hadn't been for the radio, he'd possibly have gone mad. In what he'd figured was a stroke of luck, the ding of a text message came through his phone as he hit yet another red light. He brought the message up, reading it while he waited for the light to change.

**KB:"caught a murder. Headed there now. Meat me at 124****th**** and Canary street, Hillside apartments #126."**

**RC: I'm close to there now, I'll see you in a few. **

Setting his phone down, he waited for the light to turn green and promptly turned the car around. Fifteen minutes later he was walking towards the crime scene, making his way into the building and up the stairs. Despite being closer to the scene than to the precinct, he still hadn't gotten there before his wife.

She was standing over the body as he approached, her face pale and a card in her hands. He looked from Kate to Lanie, who was kneeling beside the victim, a young blonde woman who was posed in an eerily familiar position. He took another step closer to look for what he prayed he would not find,

"Are those the same markings-?" He began, but was cut off by Lanie, "As those of a 3 inch, green and white nylon cord?" She nodded affirmatively and stated, "It's him." Rick shook his head,

"Well, you've got to get her back to the lab to be sure though, right?" He then looked to Ryan and Esposito. The former was pale and pacing the room franticly, the latter simply staring somberly at the body.

"No, we don't." Lanie began.

"Castle, he left us a message." Kate finally spoke, reaching out and handing the card to Rick.

He opened it and gasped,

_**Give my compliments to Richard Castle. It's been a long time and I do hope to drop in for a visit while I'm in town. -3XK**_

_**P.S. You've got a beautiful family, Rick.**_

* * *

**AN: The idiom, "With a vengeance": according to websters dictionary, has two meanings: **

**To return with even greater intensity...**

**With great violence, to strike...**

****Therefore, both interpretations of the summary were technically interpreted correctly by all of you dear reviewers. I just chose the more sinister of the two ;-)


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm glad you're enjoying this and I hope you continue to do so. :-)**

**Disclaimer: They are not mine. **

* * *

He stared at the note in his hands, re-reading the last sentence again and again-

**P.S. You've got a beautiful family, Rick. **

This was personal, it was more than personal. He wasn't just taunting Castle, this was a threat against his family. He looked back to Kate, who had regained some of her composure and returned to studying the victim. She turned to face him, as if sensing his gaze back on her.

"Castle, he's trying to mess with you. Don't let him get inside your head." She urged him gently.

"Kate, he's trying to mess with us, this is a threat against US! He's taunting me and he's using you, Lucy and the babies to do it." She tried to reason with him, to calm him and reassure him that it would be alright. However, she knew it was easier said than done. She remembered what it felt like when she was in the cross-hairs. The deranged man who tried to kill her, who succeeded in blowing up her apartment, all in the name of Nikki Heat crossed her mind.

"If he rattles you, he wins. The best thing we can all do is focus on the evidence and catch this son of a bitch once and for all." Kate was determined that she was going to be cool and level-headed for him, as he was for her when the roles were reversed. She focused back on the victim,

"Is there anything else outstanding about her Lanie? Anything that separates her from his other victims?" She asked her best friend.

"Besides the card, not that I can see." She answered.

"CSU is sweeping for fingerprints and they can already see that he was a lot less careful with this crime scene." Esposito spoke up from behind them.

"Of course he is, there is no reason for him to hide his identity. Tyson knows we've got him in the system now." Kate reflected.

"And that might be exactly what we need to bring him in. He's gotten cocky. You've failed to bring him in the last several times, now he's back and throwing it in our faces." A familiar voice spoke from the doorway, but it was one that they hadn't heard in quite a while. They both turned and gaped at the woman standing behind them.

"Agent Shaw?" Kate asked, somewhat incredulously. Any time the FBI showed up, Kate felt a tinge of resentment. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate their help, but she did not like the fact that they could sweep in and take over jurisdiction. "What brings you to my crime scene?" She questioned.

"Well, detective, it's good to see you too." Her eyes moved from Kate's face, down to her pregnant belly, and back up to her eyes. "It seems that a lot has changed since the last time we saw one another." She added, clearly remarking on Beckett's 'condition'. She then turned to Castle.

"And Mr. Castle, it's a pleasure to see you once again too. I see you're still working with the NYPD, a loyal partner to Kate as ever." Castle smiled at her and lifted his hand, showing her the ring on his left finger.

"and in a whole new capacity, I see. Congratulations are in order for many reasons." She added before stepping close enough for only the two of them to hear, "and I imagine that you're no longer claiming to not be sleeping together." Shaw seemed quite satisfied with herself when she realized that they were together.

"We weren't when we last saw you." Kate insisted, mildly irritated by the insinuation that they had been together and lied about it. She then simply turned to Castle and glared, prompting him to lower his hand.

"Not that I am not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?" She asked Shaw.

"Your boss called in the FBI to assist. This serial killer has gotten one too many breaks, and I'm here to see that we get him once and for all." She looked at Beckett and then added, "not stepping on any toes Kate, we're all on the same team. Now let's catch this guy before he takes another life, shall we?"

Kate nodded, after all Shaw was right, they needed to put this guy behind bars once and for all, and getting him off the streets was a lot more important than her ego. "I'll leave you to check out the body," Kate spoke, making her way from the crime scene.

Before she exited, Shaw called to her once more, "I'll be in touch soon, detective. We'll catch him this time, together." Kate smiled and nodded. Afterall, they'd made a pretty efficient team last time and the sooner this guy was caught, the sooner they could all rest assured their loved ones were safe.

* * *

"Castle, I know you are concerned, but I think he's just trying to mess with you. You've really got to try to not let him get to you so much." Kate urged her husband to calm down, but he was too busy checking the locks on Lucy's windows to respond.

"Do you really think he's going to scale the side of a building and crawl through the window?" She asked him gently, hoping that he would see reason.

"Don't you remember the lengths he went through? He is a chameleon, he hides in plain sight, he could be anywhere Kate. Why aren't you taking this more seriously?" He looked down to her from where he was standing on Lucy's bed, which enabled better access to the girl's window. He stepped down and walked back across the room, listening as his wife defended her stance.

"I'm taking this very seriously," she moved her hands to rest on her enlarged stomach, "they're my family too." He looked somewhat sorry for insinuating that she didn't care, nodding slowly as he listened to her, "If he gets to us, he throws us off of our game. I'm just trying to stay rational. Besides, this loft is probably the safest place in the city." She approached Rick, raising her hands to gently caress his face and bringing him in for a kiss.

Their foreheads touched, their fingers laced together as they stood in Lucy's bedroom, "You're right, he's just pushing my buttons." Kate leaned back and caught his eyes,

"We'll get him Rick, I promise." He nodded and kissed her once again, letting out a deep breath as they moved to head back downstairs and prepare dinner.

* * *

The week progressed fairly quietly, which further perplexed agent Shaw and the investigative team. In the past, the triple killer always struck three times within the same week; Thus, earning him the nickname. However, six days had passed and no other victims had turned up. With no leads to direct them, the case was at a stand-still.

No other messages were left for Castle, and although everyone from Martha to Alexis, was still on alert to be vigilant, nothing happened. Tyson hadn't made another move, and although they knew it was him, thanks to finger prints left at the scene, they could not find him.

The possibility that he'd failed to kill again in his normal time frame because he'd been hurt, or thrown in jail, was raised. However, the likelihood of an arrest that they did not know about was minute. Agent Shaw also warned Castle against thinking that it was over.

"Last time you interacted with Tyson, you not only revealed who he was, but according to the police report, you dared to profile him. You told him why he killed, talked about his mother and really pushed some buttons. You made him feel vulnerable. You took his control, forced his hand, and that very likely pissed him off." Castle cringed as he listened to the agent's assessment, but she simply continued.

"I guarantee that this isn't over yet. He's just waiting to make his next move. Sooner or later, he will." She informed them. Beckett sighed in frustration, she wanted this guy behind bars in a bad way. He was taunting her husband and using her and their children to do it. Kate was determined to not only catch the guy, but to make him pay.

* * *

It was nearly 9 days later when he moved again. Another body was discovered in the early morning hours. The same profile, a young blonde woman laid out as if she were sleeping, her arms folded on her chest. However, this time there was no card.

Shaw called them first thing, summoning Beckett, but warning her against bringing Castle. "Kate, I don't think he's going to want to see this. You might want to leave him behind."

Beckett simply sighed, "Look Jordan, I appreciate your concern. However, Castle is my partner and he is going to find out sooner or later. He'll see the evidence and he'll see the photos. It is pointless to try to keep him from it and we might as well get it over with. Besides, I still refuse to change my behaviors and adjust my responses to the whims of a serial killer."

So, before dawn on a cold, late February morning, Castle and Beckett entered the apartment of their next victim. She was 22, a college student at NYU, and worked at a local bar. There were once again no signs of forced entry.

The moment Kate saw her, she immediately regretted her insistence that Castle come along. The message Tyson sent was chillingly clear. There, laying on the floor, was a young woman. She was strangled in the same fashion as his previous victims, her long blonde hair spread out around her as if it were a halo.

The only difference between this scene and the previous ones was that Tyson had taken the time to make one major adjustment. He'd taken spray paint to color the victim's hair, leaving her roots blonde, but her long tendrils sprayed a shade of red that exactly matched that of Alexis Castle.

* * *

**AN: This story was outlined to completion before I began writing it. As such, I can guarantee you that it is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better…**


	8. Chapter 8

**Enjoy! You'll soon see than an interesting development impedes the investigation. I hope you like it **

* * *

"Alexis, I promise you that the NYPD will document the reasons behind your absence. Colombia University professors will have one hell of a time trying to not excuse any absence from class that results from all of this." Kate reasoned to the irate young woman.

"I'm just saying- I don't see why I can't stay at my dorm. We could get a security guard or something and I wouldn't have to miss class at all." She argued back.

"Alexis," Rick interjected, "Please, this guy is dangerous. You know that. You're staying here until this man is behind bars."

"Dad, you can't do that. I'm an adult now and you can't mandate that I do anything." She argued.

"Please sweetie, if something happened to you, I would never forgive myself." He laced his hand through his oldest daughter's hair and pleaded with her.

Finally, she let out a sigh, clearly relenting her position. "Fine." She spoke begrudgingly, "I'll stay here, but I'm going to spend my time studying and working on projects. I'm not falling behind because of some psycho with a can of spray paint."

"Based on the weather report, I think it's best you stay put anyhow kiddo. It looks like it's going to be pretty intense out there before too long." Martha stated. She motioned to the television, which was turned to the weather channel. Castle, Beckett and Alexis all gathered to listen to the report.

"It looks like it is going to be another superstorm, they're predicting it to rival the great storm of 93." Martha commented. Castle raised his eyebrows at that. There wasn't a person alive on the east coast, at least over 30 and especially a New Yorker, that didn't remember the blizzard of 1993. It was the same time of year too, early March. That storm brought hurricane force winds, record-breaking low temperatures, and well over a foot of snow. People lost their lives in the destruction.

"I was in Buffalo with my parents. We were visiting my grandparents when the storm hit," Kate reflected, "the snowfall there was incredible, well over 100 inches. I remember jumping off the front porch at my grandparent's house and landing in a snowbank that was literally taller than I was!"

"Snow taller than I am!" Lucy, who had recently joined them clapped her hands excitedly.

"Not so fast, little one." Kate spoke, "These storms bring about dangerous cold, a cold that you can't go outside in. I'm sorry baby." She let out a frustrated sigh, "even with my snowsuit and mittens?" She whined and pleaded.

"Even with your snowsuit and mittens, love." Castle added, supporting Kate and presenting a united front to their daughter.

"Do you know what we can do?" Martha spoke, "We can get this place ready for a storm! We'll need lots of blankets and candles, and we'll need wood for the fireplace to keep us warm. Would you like to help me?" Lucy nodded, excited to play such an important role in preparing for the storm.

Alexis chimed in at that point, "Hey Lucy, why don't you and I get our pajamas on, and set up our sleeping bags? We can have a camp out in front of the fire." Alexis paused for a moment in hesitation. "That is, if we can move the table out of the way." The teen turned to her father in question, seeking his permission to rearrange the furniture.

"I think that's a great idea. You two can keep warm in front of the fire tonight. I think I'd rather you both be out here anyhow, in case the power goes out and we lose heat."

Alexis nodded, she was obviously on the same page as her father when she'd suggested the idea to Lucy. With a pending violent storm, and a power outage, it was likely that the girl might become afraid. Turning it into a fun experience would likely help her through the next 24 hours.

"So much for studying," Alexis muttered. Kate simply squeezed her shoulder, "Thank you Alexis, you're a great sister." The teen smiled at Kate, showing that she wasn't _that_ upset afterall.

"I still want guards on the door." Rick spoke to Kate. "We can provide them with what they need, give them something warm to drink and anything else they want." Much to his surprise, Kate did not argue. Her agreement showed him that Tyson had gotten to her too, and he was glad she was taking this seriously.

* * *

It snowed late into the night, and through the next morning. The wind howled outside with unbelievable intensity. Given that they were on the top floor, every now and then they could feel a slight sway in the building. Alexis did her best to keep Lucy distracted, toasting marshmallows and telling funny stories around the fireplace.

It was shortly before midnight when the power finally went out, and luckily the young girl was fast asleep. "She can sleep through a vacuum cleaner outside her door. I hope that means she'll sleep soundly through all of this." Kate spoke, listening to the wind cut across the building.

With power lost to the city, everything was eerily dark, and the city that never slept went quiet. The girls were asleep next to the fireplace, and Martha was in bed, warm under her comforter. Left to themselves, Castle and Beckett watched the city from the window of their bedroom. It became impossible to see anything, and they found themselves standing together in an increasingly chilly room, with nothing but the wind outside and the sound of their own breathing to accompany them.

"It is so strange how quiet things get when the power goes out." Kate spoke softly, reaching for her husband's hand in the dark.

"I know. We forget how much noise electricity actually makes until these rare moments when we're without it. It's strange." He pulled her against him in the dark, and they continued to look out the window, every now and then the sky would light up, as if they were experiencing a summer storm.

"It's amazing how a snow storm can do that." Kate spoke again.

"Thundersnow." Castle explained, "cold air meets even colder air, it can happen in extratropical cyclones, but it is rare for it to reach the city. It usually happens in Canada and around the great lakes." He could feel, rather than see the arched eyebrow that he knew Kate was giving him at the moment.

"I've done extensive research on meteorological events. Remember the blizzard in Stormfall?" He explained. Kate nodded against him, and he could feel the movement of her head under his chin.

"It is interesting, but do you know who I think really finds this interesting?" Kate asked him, waiting for his reply. "Who?" He asked.

Instead of answering him verbally, she pulled his hands around her and placed his palms against her stomach. Soon, felt a slight thumping. "Oh my God! They're kicking? Isn't it early for kicking?" She smiled, loving how in awe he sounded over feeling their babies kick for the first time.

"For a normal pregnancy, yes. For twin pregnancies, not really. There simply isn't enough room for them to swim around without bumping into things, including me." Castle laughed at her words, placing a kiss on her hairline. He moved his hands from her stomach and began to stroke them gently up and down her sides.

She shivered at the sensation. Over the past weeks she'd definitely noticed how sensitive she'd become to his touch. It was one of the true benefits of pregnancy she'd discovered, that he could easily and quickly bring her to orgasm, and he could do it multiple times. She soon became insatiable, needing him as often as possible and at random times in the day.

That night was no exception, and she could feel the heat pooling low into her abdomen as he continued to touch her. She tilted her head back against his chest, giving him full access to her neck. A moan slipped from her as he lined the newly exposed skin with kisses, tasting her as he moved.

Kate felt helpless to do little else but hold on, reaching back to hold him and fisting her hands into the material of his shirt. One of his hands cupped where her neck met her jaw, forcing her head to tilt up slightly and bringing her lips into contact with his own. Their tongues collided and softly stroked one another, ripping moans from both of them.

The night sky continued to light up intermittently, creating an ethereal feel to the outside world as they watched the intensity of of the snowfall and the rapid shifts in the wind direction. Kate found that she was often turned on during thunderstorms, using the tension and the energy they created to heighten their emotions. The storm outside was no exception.

As she became increasingly caught up in his kiss, his smell and his taste, his other hand slid lower, gliding past her abdomen, and below her panties. When he finally made contact with her center he found her slick and ready. He easily parted her folds with his fingers, applying enough pressure to make her gasp. He caressed her there, lips gliding across her jaw as she rocked herself against his hand.

Soon it wasn't enough for her and she pleaded with him, "Rick, take me to bed. I need to feel you inside of me now." At her words he removed his hands, bringing them to rest instead on her upper arms and leading her towards their bed.

Once there, he helped her to remove her clothing, stripped his own, and then guided her to lay on her side. She sighed when she felt his body behind her, warm, firm and pressed flush against her. She shivered with anticipation as she felt his hardness directly below her bottom. It caused her to tilt her hips back, giving him better access with a silent plea that he fill her. Gently, he raised her leg and pulled it back to rest over his hip. He scooted himself as close as possible, grasping and positing himself at her entrance.

He thrust once, twice, three times; again and again, withdrawing each time before soundly pushing himself back in. She cried out as he filled her completely, hitting her sweet spot with each movement. Kate loved how he always seemed to know how she needed him. When she was upset he was slow and tender, when she was pissed he was hard and fast, when she was playful he would tease her until she was mindless with need.

Tonight she was needy, and he sought nothing else but to fill that need, pushing directly into the place that would build her up and bring her to release quickly. Soon he brought his hand to cover her mouth, allowing her to completely let go and scream into him.

Soon they both lost rhythm, too far gone for coherent thought. They were well past the ability to slow down and prolong themselves. Kate fell apart first as was usual, especially since the pregnancy. However, he wasn't far behind.

They both lay in bed, gasping for air as they came down from their high. Soon hot sweat met with cold air, and both began to chill. Spooning her and intertwining their legs, he covered them both with a think comforter and soon they were both asleep.

* * *

It took several days for the snow to melt and wind chill reached well below zero. As such, school was cancelled and Kate was able to stay home. The good thing about serious blizzards was that people simply didn't have as much opportunity to kill one another. As a result, the murder rates dropped dramatically when the city was snowed in. Kate considered it interesting, how the violent crime rate seemed to plummet during the coldest months, and skyrocketed during heat waves.

Unfortunately, being so close to the Ocean, and not nearly far enough upstate, it was rare for New York city to experiences the levels of snow that would curtail its crime rate. Because of this, Kate was more than willing to take advantage to having several days in the loft with her family. They stayed close to the fireplace until the power returned, playing games and snacking. They all considered it a mini vacation at home. Even Rick was able to appreciate feeling a bit safer from Tyson, if only for a few days.

It didn't last long, as with the melting snow, the city gathered momentum once again and people got back to their daily lives, and crimes. Less than four days after the storm, another call came in. It was a call to a scene that not only terrified Rick, but sent a chill through Kate. Tensions rose, fear escalated, and they were no closer to catching him.

With a single crime scene, and a single victim, Tyson was able to send another message of threat. However, instead of threatening one person close to Castle, he used a single, strategically located prop to threaten three.

* * *

**Any speculations as to what he could have done to the third victim? **


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow! You all guessed some pretty dark things. Along the correct lines, but wow dark! No babies were killed during the writing of this fic. Although he would be evil enough-and crazy enough to do it, I don't have the stomach to write it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. **

* * *

Three days after the storm passed, after rock salt had been dumped onto the roads, and plows had cleared them, Rick and Kate found themselves sitting in the waiting room at a very exciting appointment. It was week 18 of her pregnancy, and it was possible for them to identify the sex of the babies. Of course, proper identification could only happen if the babies were in the right position and cooperating.

Kate sat in the waiting room, lost in her thoughts and hesitant to share them with Castle. However, she knew that it was now or never, and she couldn't wait any longer. Hoping that he wouldn't be upset, or too disappointed at her request, she took a deep breath and spoke.

"Castle, I don't think I want to know."

"I'm sorry?" He asked in confusion, clearly not following along with her train of thought.

"How often in life can we be truly surprised anymore? This is one of those things that can truly represent one of the great mysteries we have left in life, Rick." He nodded slowly, understanding where she was headed.

"So, you don't want to know what we're having." It was a statement rather than a question, and judging by the flat tone of voice, she could tell that Rick wasn't happy.

"You're mad." She ascertained.

"No, I'm not mad. I'm just…I was really excited. Why didn't you say something before?" He asked, rubbing her back supportively.

"I don't know. Because I saw how excited you were and I thought that I could get over it. I honestly thought that this day would come and I would be too excited to wait myself." She explained.

"But you're here now, and you still want to be surprised." He reasoned.

"Yeah."

They were both quiet for a moment, Kate feeling horrible that she'd sprung such a request on Castle, and Rick coping with the disappointment of not finding out what they were having. Still, he reasoned that it would be amazing to be surprised in the delivery room.

"We can pick out a set of girl names, a set of boy names, and a set of names if we have one of each." Castle offered.

Beckett smiled widely at him, giving him a kiss and brushing her nose against his. "I love you so much. Thank you for this, Rick. You have no idea how much it means to me." He smiled at her, his feelings of disappointment dissolving as his heart melted. He could deny her nothing. Afterall, she was Kate Beckett and she was having his babies.

Their moment was interrupted by the voice of a nurse, calling them back. They followed her quickly as she escorted them to a room. Kate was instructed to remove her clothing and place a hospital gown on, and soon she was on the examination table. Rick sat in a chair as the nurse took her vital signs, recording them as she asked Kate a list of questions about how she'd been feeling.

"We've got a group of interns shadowing Dr. Miller today." The nurse informed them, "Would it be ok if they were to stand in on the ultrasound and consult? We're a teaching hospital, but we have to be sure that all patients consent."

Kate looked to Rick and shrugged her shoulders, neither of them had a problem with students observing. Afterall, they were all doctors. "That's fine." Kate spoke, "but could you tell the doctor that we've decided we do not want to know the sex of our babies?" The nurse smiled at them and nodded.

"I always think it is wonderful when couples want to be surprised. My husband and I waited for all three of our children and it was such a magical moment, discovering if we had a son or a daughter." The nurse offered before squeezing Kate's arm and making her way from the room.

"The doctor should be with you both in a minute." She smiled once more and closed the door behind her.

Rick moved to his wife and kissed her gently on the forehead, taking her hand in his and squeezing it. "I think you're right. Waiting will be such an exciting process. It will be like awaiting Christmas morning." He spoke.

"With the best presents anyone could ever ask for." She agreed, placing her hands on her swollen abdomen. Rick smiled and nodded in agreement, placing his larger hands over hers and keeping them there, over their growing babies.

Soon they heard a knock and the doctor entered, shaking their hands again. She was followed by four interns, who simply stood in the corner and watched the doctor work. "So I hear that you don't want to know what you're having." The doctor spoke.

Rick and Kate both smiled and nodded, Kate laying back and covering her lap with a blanket. Once her modesty was protected, she lifted her gown over her belly and allowed the doctor to pour the cold gel on her. Soon the wand was in place and the familiar swooshing and beating noises filled the room.

"Ok." The doctor began, "I see two babies, measuring perfect and timely growth." She paused the monitor for a moment, long enough to copy and print them a copy of their twins.

"I see their heads, and their spines. Their limbs are coming along nicely too. See how much their bodies have grown in proportion to their heads since last time?" The doctor asked them.

"Yeah." Kate spoke.

"They don't look like little aliens anymore, they look like little babies." Castle added, "little babies with little beer bellies." Kate rolled her eyes and laughed at his quip.

"I can also see the sex of twin A." She paused for a moment as she examined the screen, "and the sex of twin B." She pointed some things out to the interns, but was very discrete, keeping the unwanted information from Castle and Beckett.

"Can you identify them?" She asked the other doctors. The interns looked at the screen and nodded, each taking notes.

"We'll talk out in the hall, as to not ruin the surprise for our parents." The doctor added.

With the knowledge that their babies were healthy and growing, Castle and Beckett made their way home. They spent the evening on the couch, watching a movie with Lucy, who absently caressed Kate's belly. She was disappointed to not know what the babies were.

"I want little sisters to dress up and play with." Lucy informed them. "Don't bring me home a brother. No icky boys." She commanded, as if they would go to the market to pick out the babies they were going to bring home. They both smiled and reminded her that even if there was an icky boy, or heaven forbid-two icky boys, they would adore Lucy just the same.

* * *

It was late morning the next day when the call came in. He'd struck again. Kate swallowed back her nerves, maintaining her composure as she entered the crime scene. She squeezed Castle's hand tightly for a moment, reminding him that they were always stronger together. He nodded to her, understanding the significance of the moment.

When they turned the corner, all detectives and agents turned toward them. Most failed to make eye contact, looking away uncomfortably instead. Shaw sighed and continued her work, while Lanie gave Kate a look of worry. The medical examiner silently urged her friend to stay would have none of it though.

Ryan and Esposito approached them next,

"Uh, guys…maybe you should just let us handle this." Ryan spoke.

"No! I appreciate your concern, but this is my case, and this bastard is going down. When have I ever been scared away from a case?" Kate admonished them. Esposito simply nodded, allowing them past.

From across the room, Kate could see that the body no longer had red hair, but was back to the usual blonde. She was laid out as the others were, her hands clasped on her chest. However, there was one major, chilling difference. Tyson had taken the time to strategically place a pillow under the woman's shirt, giving her the unmistakable look of pregnancy.

Kate saw it from across the room. She took a moment to reassure herself that he was just messing with them, just trying to get into their heads. _Ok Kate, be calm._ She told herself, she was not going to fall apart in front of Castle. He was on edge enough already.

However, all attempts to be strong were thrown out the window when she'd gotten closer. Standing over the body, she looked down and noticed markings on the victim's white shirt. She read them and began to shake. Within seconds, the detective rushed to the nearest trashcan and vomited as the implication of what the markings represented set in.

On the body were two distinct sets of markings. Tyson had taken the time to write on her shirt. The right side displayed the words, _BABY A_ and showed a circle with an arrow pointing out, the universal sign for _boy_. Next to it was written _BABY B,_ which showed another circle with a cross below it, the universal sign for _girl_.

A chill ran through Castle as the realization set in. He knew that Tyson wasn't just messing with them. The man, who was a master of disguise, had gotten much closer to them than ever anticipated. He'd dared to be in the room with them during the intensely sacred and private moment when the doctor examined their babies. God only knew what he was planning next.


	10. Chapter 10

Now it was Kate's turn to pace the floor, and that is exactly what she did as Castle sat wordlessly in the chair next to her desk. Despite the fact that the third victim had been identified, which would have indicated a temporary stop to the triple killer's activities, everyone remained on high alert. The time between victims seemed to narrow and he seemed to be more active than before. History said that he would stop, but current behavior told them that he was escalating.

"I don't get it." Kate began, speaking more to herself than to anyone in particular. "If he wanted to send a message this badly, why not just kill a redhead and a pregnant woman? Why the props?"

"Because he's still got his impulses." Shaw explained. "He still has a very specific demographic that he feels compelled to target, young, blonde women in their late twenties/early thirties. It is more than just a preference for him, it is an impulse. He would get nothing out of killing women who don't fit that profile."

"So, he targets and kills as before, now he's just adding props to send messages." Castle concluded.

Shaw nodded, "Yeah, but if he has a message to send, he may keep killing, or he may find other ways to communicate."

"Other ways?" Both Castle and Beckett asked in unison. Kate was absentmindedly caressing her belly, as if keeping her hands there would keep the babies safer somehow.

"Yes." Shaw responded, "other ways. The question is, what ways? We need to try to get into his head. We've been two steps behind him the whole time. We've got to anticipate his next move if we're going to have a chance of getting to this guy.

"So how do we do that?" Kate questioned.

Castle spoke up. "If I were writing it, and the killer was trying to taunt a specific person, and was clearly using members of his family to do it, I suppose I would look to who was left in the family to target."

"So who in the family has he not targeted yet?" Shaw asked.

"The first victim just had a note…" Castle began to reason to himself, "He targeted Alexis with the spray paint and the hair." Kate offered.

"Then Kate with the pillow and the babies…" Shaw spoke. "So, who is left."

"My mother. Kate's father and…" Castle and Beckett both paused and looked at one another, the color drained from their faces as they both whispered, "Lucy."

As if on cue, the phone rang. Kate answered it with her customary "Beckett." However, it was not confidant as usual. Her voice was shaking with hesitance and fear, causing her name to come out sounding more like a question than a statement of who she was.

"Kate Beckett-Castle?" The panicked voice on the other end of the phone spoke.

"This is she." Kate answered, a feeling of dread filling up her stomach like cold cement. She didn't know what was coming, but she knew it was bad.

"Ms. Castle, this is Angela at Marlowe prep. We're calling because we can't find Lucy."

"You can't find her? What do you mean you can't find her? HOW DID YOU LOSE HER?" Any semblance of rationality melted away as Kate screamed into the phone.

"I don't know. She was there before they went outside for recess. When the children came back, Lucy was not with them." The woman on the phone pleaded for Kate to calm down.

"We were going to call the police, but realized that you are the police." Kate laid her hand down on her desk to support herself, feeling her legs begin to give as she thought of all the horrible things that could be happening to her daughter.

Shaw grabbed the phone as Beckett felt the strong arm of her husband wrap around her waist and support her. Soon the phone was on speaker and the three were shooting questions to Angela.

"Did anyone see her on the playground? What time did they go out? How long were they out there? Who was supervising the children? How long has it been since you realized she was missing?"

Kate rested her head against Rick's chest, unable to think clearly. Luckily, Ryan and Esposito were close enough to witness the exchange and were well on their way to issuing an Amber alert for the girl.

Despite the fact that he was trembling with fear, Castle did his best to keep Kate upright and supported. Usually she was the cool one, but a threat to Lucy so soon after a threat to her unborn children had taken its toll. This level of fear mixed with exhaustion and hormones was putting Kate over the edge.

A search team was assembled and dispatched to the school, along with several officers to search out any evidence of Lucy's abduction. Alexis was called, as was Martha and both were headed to the precinct, which had been turned into a headquarters of sorts as the search for the missing child began.

Gates would take nothing less than immediate response from her people. Afterall, they knew who they were dealing with.

"I'll be damned if we waste precious hours waiting to see if she turns up. We find her now. We catch this bastard and when we do, he'll be singing soprano for the rest of his pathetic life." Later, Kate would think to thank Gates for her immediate response, her rational thinking and her dedication to her and Castle's family. For now, however, she could think of little else than finding Lucy and bringing her home.

The boys were disturbed by their boss. Afterall, this was Kate Beckett. The invincible detective who chased down criminals, who stood in the face of danger and put the fear of God into the most unsavory of characters. She'd never backed down, she'd never let a criminal get to her. Even after she'd nearly fallen from a roof, she had the strength of character to do what she thought was right, what she thought she needed.

They didn't recognize the pale, trembling woman in front of them, but were eternally grateful for the steadfast man beside her, rubbing soothing circles across her back and promising her that everything would be ok. He was _her_ rock, and now they saw how much of a partnership their relationship really was, always was.

* * *

The playground was swept for evidence, but none was found. It was as if Lucy simply vanished. Her backpack and all her things were presented to Castle, as they'd been in her cubby when she disappeared.

When Kate saw the backpack she grabbed it and started to open pockets, digging for something specific. Moments later she pulled out a cell phone. They'd gotten her one for emergencies. "She can't even call us, Rick." She whispered, her voice trembling with fear and helplessness.

As the sun set that evening, Alexis and Martha joined Rick and Kate, and there was little to do but wait. Kate had regained a little bit of her composure, but was helpless to do anything.

Gates forbid her to go looking for Lucy,

"There are enough men out there, Kate. You need to be here in case he calls, or she calls. **When** we get her back this is where they are going to bring her. She is going to want you Kate. What am I supposed to tell her if you're off somewhere looking for her?"

Kate nodded. Afterall, Gates was right. As the parents, their place was right where they were.

Shortly after the sun set, with darkened skies and chilly temperatures, their prayers were answered.

An officer from another precinct walked into the twelfth, "Excuse me. Does she belong to anybody here?" Castle and Beckett both ran for their daughter, not noticing the toy she held in her hand. In moments she was in Castle's arms, cradled against him as Beckett kissed her head and checked her body for injuries.

"We found her sitting in Central Park, alone." The officer informed them. "It was getting dark and she was just sitting there. A woman was concerned about her, so she called us."

"What were you doing in the park?" Rick asked her forcefully, relieved that she was safe but terrified of everything that could have happened.

"I was waiting for you, but you didn't come. Where were you?" She asked them, as if they'd stood her up for something.

"Why did you leave school, Lucy?" Kate asked, "How did you get all the way to the park?"

"The man came and got me. He told me that you said that I needed to come with him and that you were going to pick me up in the park. He said you were going to give me hot chocolate."

"What man?" Shaw asked her.

"The officer man." Lucy answered. Shaw pulled a picture and showed it to Lucy.

"Was this the man?" The little girl nodded.

"Lucy, you know better than to go with strangers! Why would you go with him?" Kate's voice was trembling.

"Because he had a badge like yours mommy. He said he was a friend of yours, and a friend of Kevin's. He was the police and I needed to go with him." Lucy's lip started to tremble, prompting both Castle and Beckett to lean into her and kiss her softly, brushing fingers through her hair and soothing her.

Ryan's face reddened as he realized that his badge, along with some uniform, had been used to kidnap the child. He wanted Tyson, and he wanted him badly. They had a score to settle.

"Did he touch you? Did he hurt you?" Castle asked her.

"No. He just gave me my new jump rope and told me to play with it until you came to get me." Lucy turned back and pointed to her new toy, a jump rope.

It was made of green and white nylon fibers.

* * *

As expected, they were able to lift his prints from the rope. They expected nothing less. Afterall, he was doing this to send a message.

It was as if he was saying "I'm toying with you because I can. Remember how much you messed up my life? Now it's your turn."

Late in the evening, after Lucy was tucked into bed by both of her parents and kissed goodnight, and after they both checked on her sleeping form multiple times, Castle and Beckett lay in their bed. Their limbs were intertwined as he spooned her body with his own.

After the day they'd had, they both needed the contact. They needed to feel the reassurance of one another's physical presence.

"This is not how I envisioned my pregnancy to go." Kate spoke.

He inhaled sharply, taking in her familiar and intoxicating scent as he kissed her gently on the neck. "I know." He offered.

"I called the hospital, Rick," She began. "They needed to know what happened, to know that their security was compromised."

"Yeah?" He asked, prompting her to continue.

"Yeah. I wanted to know if it was real. If he really was there, or if he'd just guessed. So I told the doctor what had been written, about the sex of baby A and baby B. I needed to know. I prayed that somehow he didn't actually know. Maybe they were both girls, or both boys." Kate reasoned, wanting to believe that he actually wasn't in the room with them afterall.

"So you know what the babies are?" Rick clarified, before pressing on with his question, "was Tyson accurate?"

She didn't answer verbally, but nodded affirmatively. Both were silent for a few moments.

"Hey." Rick spoke.

"I know that this is not the way you wanted to find out. It might just be one of the worst ways possible to find out, in fact." He continued.

She nodded against him again, but didn't speak.

"The good news is that nobody else knows but us." He reasoned.

"and Lanie, and the boys, and Shaw, and CSU..." Kate corrected him.

"Ok. So nobody else in the family knows. Why don't we have some fun telling them. We could get a cake and surprise them."

"A half blue, half pink cake." Kate spoke, taking her fingers and lacing them into his. She held their conjoined hands and studied them. She loved the way that they just seemed to fit. Thinking about telling the family lightened her heart a bit. She let out a sigh.

"I want to get out, Castle."

"hmm?" He mumbled into her hair.

"The city. I want to get out. I want our family away from this. We need to go, Rick. I can't stay here. Lucy isn't safe, Alexis and your mom, my dad...Rick, our babies aren't safe." She urged him.

He had his doubts. His rational side told him that if Tyson was willing to go to these limits, they weren't going to be able to run from him. Yet, his emotional side told him that he needed to get his family away. So he decided, he would hire guards and they would leave.

"Ok Kate. Let's go to the Hamptons."

* * *

AN: Don't you worry, Kate is shaken, but she's still Kate. Can you imagine what a fierce momma bear she would turn into? Yeah...exactly...


	11. Chapter 11

His fingers caressed the back of her neck, brushing along the skin there and sliding against the strands of hair that fell loosely from her ponytail. The sensation jolted her from her thoughts, causing her to turn to face him and smile.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He asked her softly.

"I guess I spaced out." She admitted, turning back to the window she'd been staring out. She loved the fact that there was a perfect view of the ocean from the living room. Early on in their relationship he'd discovered how much she loved to watch the waves. He'd even gone as far as to create her a little nook where she could sit at the bay window and relax. It quickly became her favorite spot and on more than one occasion he'd found her there, lost in her own thoughts.

This was precisely where he'd found her early in the morning, several weeks into their stay at the Hamptons. The tension had eased some with the passage of time, but not much considering that the triple killer was still at large. Whatever he was up to, it had been a few weeks and he had yet to act. Neither Castle nor Beckett were naïve enough to believe that he had simply lost them when they left the city.

They knew that he was planning something, but without any leads they were helpless to wait for him to make his next move. Trying their best to cope, they took advantage of quiet moments and focused as much as possible on keeping safe and calm. They watched and waited, passing quiet moments such as the one Castle currently found himself in, together.

Castle urged Kate to scoot forward from her spot at the window and create a space for him. Once he was seated, his back against the wall and his legs open to invite her to lay back against his chest as they both watched the waves crash against the shore, he pressed her to open up to him.

She sighed and relaxed into him as he traced patterns along her round stomach. The gesture was loving and somewhat protective. She loved the warmth and security she felt in his arms, even if she was the one with a gun and a badge. His love offered an entirely different form of security, and it was one that she hadn't experienced until she let herself be loved by him.

"Where'd you go?" He questioned her, referencing the faraway look she'd had on her face. "You were miles away."

She smiled, "I guess I was thinking about what these two will be like. Sometimes I like to imagine them, who they will look like, what their mannerisms will be. I like to think about what they'll do, who they will become." She laced her fingers with his, resting along her stomach and jolting every now and again in response to one of the babies' movements.

"I like to think about big, bright green eyes and beautiful brown hair. They'll be heart breakers, forces to be reckoned with. They'll have fierce determination in their eyes and a passion for life." Castle spoke, placing a kiss against her temple as he spoke of their children.

"Although," he added, "if she looks like you, I'm going to have to invest in shotguns before she becomes a teenager."

Kate smiled, turning to meet his lips briefly with her own before responding to his words, "I like to think that they'll look like you Rick. They'll be imaginative and vivacious; they'll be creative and have a thirst for knowledge." He smiled at her words, and she couldn't resist adding, "and they'll probably drive me up the wall too." She added the latter part with a hint of amused sarcasm in her voice.

"and you'll fall madly in love with them for it," came his response. She smiled at his words, nodding in agreement.

"Just like with their father, I never had a chance. I'll be a goner from the moment I see them. Only this time, I'll admit it off the bat. " Her words earned her another soft and loving kiss, and as if affirming the truth of her words, a series of swift kicks came against her uterus.

"Hey!" she rubbed firmly at the spot of activity, "play nice with your brother." She spoke authoritatively, causing Castle to grin widely.

"How are you sure that _she_ is kicking _him_? What if he was the one kicking her?" He asked curiously.

"Because I know our babies Castle," she took his hands back in hers for a moment and pressed his fingers against the lower left side of her abdomen.

"This" she spoke as she pressed his fingers forcefully into the area, "is our son."

She let out another content exhale before she continued, "He's pretty mellow, he generally doesn't give me too much grief unless I've been up and around on my feet too long. He's pretty good, although not a fan of spicy food." Castle smiled in awe at her words, amazed by the information she provided.

She then took his hand and moved it to the upper right side of her stomach, "and here" she pressed his hands against the spot where they'd rested their hands earlier, "is our daughter."

He waited anxiously for the insight she was about to provide him with concerning his newest little girl,

" She stays pretty active, is constantly on the move and lets me know pretty regularly when she isn't happy for any reason." As if on cue, a swift kick came to where she'd pressed his fingers down. The baby was obviously bugged by the firm pressing sensation created by Kate's hand against her stomach.

"be nice!" She scolded her stomach, her voice too filled with love to be taken seriously, "and don't kick your brother either." Castle chuckled at his wife.

"So, in other words, she takes after her mother." She raised her eyebrows at his comment, turning her head slightly to the side to face him.

"What?" He asked her innocently, "she kicks ass and takes names. It's genetic."

"Oh, I don't know." Kate answered, "She is disruptive, invasive, and I can only imagine that her brother is at his wits' end. Sure it is genetic, but I kind of think she takes after her father." She smiled as she spoke, her grin only growing wider when he leveled a glare at her.

"Our babies are lucky to have you, Kate. You're going to be a great mom." He told her lovingly, bringing a serious tone back to their playful bantering.

She smiled and inhaled deeply, falling back into silence for a few moments. Castle began to rub wide, circular patterns into her stomach, the warmth from his palms and the soothing sensation from his movements causing both mom and babies to relax.

"I can't believe we can feel them so clearly at five and a half months. It was much later with Meredith and Alexis." Castle spoke, thinking back on his first experience with parenthood.

"Well," Kate began, "there are two babies. There's less room for them to grow and less space for them to go. The doctor says it is completely normal to feel them this much now. I've read that it can happen even earlier with triplets and higher multiple births."

"Could you imagine triplets?" He asked her somewhat jokingly.

"Two Castle babies will be handful enough as is. I think if I didn't have the help of another mature person, I'd go mad." He kissed her again, smiling at her words, "I guess it is good you have help then." He offered in a somewhat self-satisfied tone.

"Yeah, thank God for Lucy." Kate quipped.

"Ha. Ha. Ha." He offered, giving her another kiss. Sometimes he was still amazed by how much he loved her.

Kate's mood shifted, "Rick." She spoke, "He got his hands on our little girl." He simply held her tighter. They'd had this conversation several times in the weeks since they'd left the city. Both were bothered immensely by what had transpired, but Kate still had to be pulled back from going to the worst possible outcomes in her mind. She blamed her hormones and her job, stating that she'd seen enough evil in the world to last a lifetime. Surely this caused her to go always to the worst case scenario.

"She's ok, Kate. She's safe and happy and she's here."

"We've got to get him Castle. He can't get near our family again." She pleaded with him, as if he could somehow arrange their capture of Tyson. It was quite a strange role reversal for Castle, and one that he'd had to grow accustomed to the further into the pregnancy Kate advanced.

Still, he had no doubt that if threatened, the Kate Beckett he fell in love with would strike with a vengeance. Hell, now she had children to protect. The thought of Beckett as a fierce mama bear-type gave even him chills. He sure as hell wouldn't want to cross her.

_Heaven help the poor bastard who crosses Kate's babies, our babies. _He thought to himself, choosing not to voice his opinion. Keeping Kate calm and comfortable was a priority, and setting her to chase after a dangerous killer at five and a half months pregnant was not his idea of a great plan.

He did know that all bets would be off when they did get Tyson. He just prayed that they would capture him before the psychopath could get to their family again. He silently wondered how long they could continue to function under the looming threat, just waiting for something to happen.

Something had to give and they all sensed that it wouldn't be long before it did.


	12. Chapter 12

**It happened. I finally found the words to continue this story. :) You're here and reading and you've stuck with it! Thanks :) Now, some resolution. **

**Disclaimer: Lucy is mine, the others are not. **

* * *

"For the love of God, Castle Stop!" Kate moaned for what seemed like the hundredth time. "You're crowding me. I'm pregnant, not an invalid." She was moody already, and after spending a terrifying night at the hospital the last thing she wanted was to feel more out of control. Her husband's doting behavior, while sweet, was starting to feel claustrophobic.

"Kate, you heard the doctor. No heavy lifting, you're to be on bed rest, and you've got to limit your stress!" She rolled her eyes at him cynically. They both knew that as long as Tyson as at large, there would be no stress relief. In fact, Castle placed a large part of the blame for Kate's current state on the killer. It was yet another reason why he so badly wanted to make the man suffer. First for messing with his head, then for laying his hands on Lucy, and most of all, for jeopardizing the health of Kate and their babies.

Luckily, what Kate was experiencing was just a sign that her body was under a great deal of stress, and not that the babies were in imminent danger. Still, the doctor was very stern in his warning. Kate was to take it easy, and much to the detective's chagrin, that included bed-rest.

They cuddled in bed for a few hours, Castle wordlessly rubbing circles into Kate's lower back as he planted kisses across her brow. The movie that played in the background received little attention from the couple as Kate moaned in response to his gentle yet firm touch. It still amazed her that he had such power over her body, even after all this time. She mused that he possessed some magical ability or instinct to touch her exactly where she needed it, when she needed it; and at that moment she welcomed his caresses.

No words were exchanged as he rose to close their door quietly, shifting the lock into place to prevent any embarrassing interruptions. He smiled to himself softly as he heard the steady noise of Lucy practicing on the piano, Martha instructing her as the child's small fingers worked the keys. By the time he returned to their bed she was undressed, leaning against a large support pillow with her swollen belly and breasts covered by a thin sheet for modesty.

"You know you don't have to do that." He gently spoke to her, pulling his own shirt off and quickly dropping his pants and boxer shorts. "Your body is gorgeous, regardless." He crawled beneath the sheets to join her, letting his hands slide rhythmically up and down her arms before whispering in her ear,

"Now that you're carrying our babies, I find your body even sexier."

Beckett drew the sheet up further, resisting his attempts to pull it from her body. He looked at her with concern, dropping a kiss to her collarbone before addressing her strange behavior "Beckett?"

"Castle, I'm starting to get stretch marks and I feel as big as a boat._ Sexy _is not the word I would use to describe my current state." She shifted her eyes away from him, attempting to further hide her insecurity. Afterall, Kate Beckett was NOT the type to fish for complements.

"Kate." He whispered, tilting her chin so that they faced one another,

"This isn't lip service. I think you are the strongest, most beautiful, amazing woman I've ever known. I told you once that you were a puzzle that I thought I would never solve, and now that I get to watch you each day, growing with these amazing lives we've created," he took her hand in his own, rubbing circles into the smooth skin there, "I'm more and more convinced that I want to spend the rest of my life trying to unlock the mystery that is _you_."

Unable to stop herself, Kate smiled brightly. Her eyes watered as she leaned in to kiss him, bringing her hand to brush his cheek softly and letting go of the sheet that covered her body. He used the opportunity that the fallen sheet created to caress her newly exposed flesh, taking extra care to cup her breast and squeeze her nipple.

Knowing the effect that his movements had on her body, he watched with satisfaction as her head fell back into his chest and she let out a slow, satisfied moan. Her hands dropped to either side of her body, coming to rest on his thighs. He'd shifted his legs to rest on either side of her hips, effectively sandwiching her against his body.

He took her gentle but insistent squeeze against his flesh as encouragement and grazed his hands across her body, using his loving caress to cause a shiver through her swollen belly as he planted a series of open-mouthed kisses behind her ear and along her throat. They both laughed as they felt a series of swift kicks against the areas where Rick's fingers trailed. It was evident that Kate wasn't the only one getting riled up by his touch.

The kicking continued, prompting Kate to firmly press back and rub even circles against who she assumed was her protesting daughter. Castle's larger hand covered hers and he spoke in a deep, authoritative voice.

"Johanna, stop kicking your mother. It isn't very ladylike." Kate rolled her eyes and smiled, turning to look at him quizzically.

"Johanna?" She questioned. The thought of naming the girl after her mother had certainly crossed her mind, but they hadn't discussed it yet.

"Yeah." He smiled and began to explain, "I just thought that it was a beautiful name, and a wonderful way to honor your mother. She's a part of you, and although I wasn't lucky enough to meet her, I certainly can't wait to know her namesake."

She smiled, her eyes watering as she laced their fingers together. She turned to meet his face and kissed him sweetly, "this is why I love you."

He smiled and rested his forehead against her temple, "and here I thought you were using me for the sex."

"That too." She admitted, earning a chuckle from him.

"It actually works, Castle-naming our girl Johanna." She shifted the conversation back to the topic at hand.

"Why do you say that?" He questioned.

"Because I already have a boy name that I really like in mind." She hesitated a moment before speaking again "if you like it too, of course." She added.

"and what is this name that you like so much?"

"Jacob." Kate volunteered.

Rick giggled. "Twilight reference?"

She elbowed him in the stomach, "NO! and if you suggest that again these will be the last babies that you'll ever be capable of making." She threatened before clarifying,

"Jacob was my grandfather's name. The one that reminds me so much of you."

"I had a childhood best friend named Jacob," Castle expressed before adding his approval, "it's a good name. I like it."

Kate smiled, "we'll keep it in mind" she offered, not yet ready to make a commitment, but glad they were on the same page.

"Now." She leaned her head back against Castle's stomach. "Where were we?" She squeezed his thighs, waiting for him to take her hint. It wasn't long before he did, laying her onto her side as he pressed himself against her.

They made love slowly, fingers laced as he slowly wound her up and brought her over the edge. When they finished they lay together, limbs intertwined as they napped.

* * *

Several more hours passed and while Kate rested Rick made his way to the kitchen. Soon it would be dinner time and as Beckett would attest, he regularly went out of his way to see that she and the babies were fed well. It earned him an eye roll from time to time, but even Kate admitted that she was touched by the level of care he gave to each member of his family.

As he pulled the meat out of the fridge to defrost in preparation for Lasagna, Rick admired the view from his kitchen window. He allowed the silence to comfort him as he watched the sea breeze blow across the bright green grass. Silence. It was in that moment that Castle noticed that there was complete silence, a rare occurrence with a seven year old girl in the house.

"Lucy?" He called in concern. She'd been playing the piano with Martha the last he'd seen her, but all was quiet now. His heart sped as he called her name again, moving from room to room in search of the girl.

"Lucy, where are you?" he paused when out of the corner of his eye he noticed the open pool gate outside. He took a deep breath as he exited the side door and made way toward the pool. "Luce' you know you're not allowed near the pool without supervision." He spoke sternly as he noticed the open pool house door as well.

He could see it was empty from his vantage point but moved to shut the door anyhow, wanting to avoid leaving the space open to the destruction of Mr. Peanut. Castle heard it first, the cocking of the gun sending a cold chill through him. He took mental inventory of the current locations of each of his loved ones as he began to turn slowly, exactly half way between the open gate and the pool house.

He would not play Tyson's game. He would end it here, giving Kate the opportunity to hear the shot and take the son of a bitch out once and for all. "You came all this way, really?" Rick spoke before he turned.

"Well, I hear it's absolutely beautiful here this time of year and I thought I'd check it out." He spoke evenly, a taunting edge in his voice.

"Now turn around slowly." Tyson spoke, his calm tone dictating a level of control that put Rick on edge. He was surprised to find that above all else he felt sadness. There was no fear or anger, just a profound sense of loss and regret. _I'll never see my babies. _

"You know you're not going to survive this Tyson." He tried to stall, backing slowly toward the pool house in attempt to lure Tyson further from where his family was. It seemed to work, as the man took a step towards the pool house.

"Well, considering that I have the gun, I'd say that you're in no position to dictate who lives and who dies." His menacing stance sent a chill through Castle's spine. _This is it_. He couldn't help but think. It was odd how calm he felt about it all, peaceful and accepting that this might be the end.

However, the sense of calm was short lived. In the next moment his heart stopped and breathe left his body with the sounds of running from behind the pool house. He heard her running before he saw her, flushed and out of breath.

"Mr. Peanut ran away, but I got him…" Lucy shouted. She stopped suddenly from her dead run when she saw the man with the gun.

"Lucy, baby. Don't move." Castle spoke calmly.

"Hey again, little one." Tyson spoke. Castle cringed internally at the man's use of the term _little one_. That was Kate's name for Lucy and it once again reminded him how much this man had invaded their lives.

Lucy did not answer. She simply stared from Tyson to Castle. In that moment Castle felt panic, he prayed that he could somehow remain in between his little girl and Tyson. _If I can get her into the pool house she might have a chance, _he reasoned.

"Now. Here's how we're going to do this." Tyson began, taking a step towards a pile of thin rope, designated for tying the tarp to the pool. He picked it up and tossed it to Castle.

"You're going to do exactly as I say, and you're not going to make any sudden moves. Now, tie her." He motioned to Lucy with his gun.

Castle simply stood there, glaring at Tyson. "I said tie her up, Rick! Unless you want me to do it? I warn that I do tend to get creative with rope, but you know that already, don't you?" He taunted him.

Castle nodded, turning to Lucy. He knelt down and pulled the rope, leaning in close enough to whisper. Tyson spoke again as Castle tried to develop a plan,

"And if you take a step out of line I'll kill you. I'll kill you all and I'll make her watch." He taunted.

Now close enough to touch her, Castle leaned in and whispered. "Lucy Baby, in a second I am going to give you a push. I want you to turn and run, as fast as you can. You run into the pool house and you lock yourself in the bathroom. Whatever you do, don't look back." His words were rushed, but the girl understood.

Her eyes were wide with fear as Castle moved to grab her arms, turning her away from him and towards the pool house. From Tyson's vantage point it would simply look like he was turning her to tie her. He raised slowly to his feet, still bent over and blocking Tyson's view of the girl.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and shouted "Now, run baby!" His back to Tyson, he gave Lucy a push and watched as she ran for her life. He winced in the next moment as he heard the gun fire. He closed his eyes and braced himself, but nothing happened.

Another moment passed and still nothing. Slowly Castle turned. When he did he found the body of Jerry Tyson sprawled out on the ground, a bullet in the back of his skull. Standing above him as a very pregnant Kate Beckett, her weapon still raised. She looked positively deadly.

"That's the last time you mess with my family, you son of a bitch." Kate spoke firmly, a cold and calculated look in her eyes. It was a look of fierce protection that Castle had never witnessed, one that he prayed he would never be on the receiving end of.

She dropped her arms and exhaled suddenly. Castle turned back to note that Lucy had done as told and was now in the pool house. Glad that she hadn't witnessed the shooting, he exhaled. He moved quickly to take Kate in his arms.

She dropped her guard once secure in his embrace. "It's over now." She spoke as she pulled him closer. "It's finally over."


	13. Chapter 13

**The real life Mr. Peanut is being a sweetie, he is laying across my arm and demanding more attention as I try to write this. ;)**

**Disclaimer: They are not mine.**

* * *

"Lucy, baby… Lucy, come here little one. It's all over." Kate called softly into the pool house. She stepped into the small structure and looked around the dimly lit space for her little girl.

Sweeping the space for any trace of Lucy, Kate stood back. _Where could she have gone?_ She wondered to herself. Although large enough for a small kitchen, bathroom and living space, there weren't too many hiding options in the pool house. "Lucy," Beckett called again, "baby I promise it is all safe now. He is gone and he is never going to hurt us again." She tried to pacify the little girl into coming out from her hiding space. There was still no response.

Kate stood baffled for a moment._ If I were a little girl, where would I go? _She wondered. _No, if I were Lucy, where I would I go? _She specified. Afterall, Lucy wasn't your average little girl. It hit her then, she smiled softly to herself as she made her way to the small broom closet. She imagined most children would have hid under the couch, considering the broom closet too small for even a child. However, Lucy was a little girl who would frequent small, dark closets.

She'd gotten much better about it, but every now and then it wasn't out of the ordinary to wake in the morning to find that she'd hidden herself on her bedroom closet floor after a particularly vivid nightmare. It always broke Kate's heart to find her there, a reminder of the hell her daughter had lived through before she'd found her way home.

Opening the door slowly, Kate spoke again, "Hi little one. I promise it's just me and nobody else." Kate reached for Lucy, her small frame huddled behind the cleaning supplies. Her chin was propped on top of her knees and her eyes were wide as saucers. "Is it happening again?" Her weak voice came.

"Is what happening, baby? Everybody is alright now." Kate soothed Lucy as she pulled the mop out from in front of the girl's location. Once able to, Kate leaned in to scoop Lucy's small body out of the room, trying her best to hold the little girl in spite of her swollen abdomen. It was the first time she'd regretted being pregnant. Not because she didn't want her children, but because she wanted to hold Lucy tight. She wanted to hold her in the same way she did all that time ago.

Lucy regarded Kate and answered slowly, "I thought he was going to kill my new mommy and daddy, just like my old mommy got killed." She wept.

"Rick." Kate called, desperate to comfort her daughter. She knelt down and pulled Lucy close, allowing the girl to wrap her arms around her neck.

"Baby, I promise you that we're not going anywhere." Kate offered, t_hat's not a promise you can keep,_ she challenged herself. She took a deep breath as Lucy clung to her.

"Kate?" She heard his voice, filled with alarm.

"Rick. I think Lucy needs to see that we both are ok." Kate explained, remaining on her knees with their daughter clinging to her body for life.

He came around to face Kate, placing his hands under the back of Lucy's arms and calling to her, "Luce' I'm right here. You were so brave and I'm so proud of you, but it is all over now. Mommy saved us all and he will never come back again." He coaxed Lucy into letting go of Kate's neck long enough for her to spin around and cling to him.

Much more able to take the physical strain of holding her, he stood and brought Lucy close to his body, her legs wrapping around his waist as she rested her head against his shoulder. He then offered one hand to Kate, helping her back onto her feet.

"We're all ok." He promised, rubbing soothing circles against Lucy's back. "Why don't we go inside and get our things?" He suggested.

"Why don't we get Mr. Peanut and go home, ok baby?" Kate added on. Lucy nodded her head against Rick's shoulder.

They exited out the front of the small house, avoiding the pool area and Tyson's body altogether. "Mother has already called the police." Rick spoke quietly as they made their way back to the house.

Kate nodded, "If they'll be here soon then why don't you get us packed up while they take my statement? The sooner we get out of here, the better." Kate offered.

It wasn't easy to pack with Lucy in her current state, unwilling to let go of Rick. Still, he managed and soon had their things together. That evening, after the police had all the information needed, and Richard Castle saw them zip Tyson's lifeless form into the body bag, closure settled over them and they headed home.

* * *

It was nearly 2am by the time they got back into the city, Lucy fast asleep in her booster car seat, Grasping Kate's arm and using it as a security blanket of sorts. Martha guided the door man, eager to assist with their luggage as Kate and Rick worked in tandem to get Lucy securely into the loft.

All was well, Alexis secure at her dorm once again, Martha happy to be back in the city, and Rick and Kate glad for the security of knowing their family was safe once again.

"She sleeps like a rock, all things considered." Rick offered, thankful that they hadn't disturbed her in their task of getting her out of the car and up to their floor. Kate smiled, leading them up the stairs and down the hall to the girl's bedroom.

Once inside Kate turned her bed down as Rick set her gently onto the mattress. They undressed her together, off with her clothing and on with her nightgown. Both sat with her for a moment, watching her sleep peacefully. Kate tucked cotton candy bunny in securely against Lucy, knowing that it would be the first thing she would grab for when she awoke.

Rick sat in the chair next to her bed, making himself comfortable amongst the stuffed animals there, while Kate sat on the bed next to where she slept. Soon they could feel the mattress give under the weight of a third party. Smiling, Kate reached down to where Mr. Peanut had jumped up. Clearly, the cat had attended to his business and was ready for bed. He rubbed his nose against Kate's hand before curling himself into a ball beside Lucy's sleeping form.

"Do you think it is ok to just leave her alone tonight Kate?" Rick asked.

"I think we need to. I think that the sooner we can get her back into her stable routine, knowing that if she needs us we will come, the sooner we put this all behind us." Kate, already the authoritative parent in the household, brushed Lucy's hair from her forehead once again and placed a kiss there.

"I will see you in the morning, my love. Sweet dreams." She placed a kiss on Lucy's cheek and moved to stand. Her hand was caught by Rick, who grasped at her wrist.

"What if I'm not ready to leave yet?" He admitted.

Kate turned towards him, running her fingers through his hair as she leaned closer to line his forehead with kisses. Still seated, he pulled her into his arms and rested his head against her pregnant stomach, inhaling her scent and rubbing his fingers in soothing patterns along her lower back.

"It's all over now. She repeated to her husband." He simply pulled her in tighter.

Kate inhaled slowly and deeply, her lips pressed against the skin at his hairline. She then sighed, understanding what her husband needed; Admitting to herself that she needed it too. "Ok." She whispered.

She moved to sit back down on the girl's bed. Rick, took his cue and crawled over them, snuggling himself against the wall. Now, with Lucy asleep between them, and Mr. Peanut resting below them, they settled in.

"Just awhile longer." Kate whispered, holding her daughter's sleeping body even closer. Soon her hand found Rick's and their finger's laced together. "Just a while longer." She repeated before closing her own eyes for the night.

They were safe, they were sound, and they were together.

* * *

**AN: lots of planned for those babies...and happy endings on the horizon. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. **

* * *

Kate Beckett had been through a lot in her life. She'd suffered loss, betrayal and hopelessness. She'd survived the unthinkable, freezing, drowning, being blown up, shot, just about anything a person could think of. Needless to say, Kate was a survivor. She was strong and resolute.

However, at the moment she was out of her mind. She paced the living room of the loft, rubbing deep circles into her pregnant stomach to ease her discomfort. Her due date was rapidly approaching and now that they knew that the babies would survive on their own, that their lungs were developed and they were simply getting ready to greet the world, Kate was ready to get them out of her.

"Pregnancy is great… You glow during pregnancy….It's the best time of your life…" She said to herself sarcastically as she folded the tiny clothing that they'd washed in preparation for the twins' arrival.

"Castle, I want to find the women who wrote this 'pregnancy is magical' propaganda and shoot her. I'm ready to reach in and pull these babies out myself!" She called to him in agitation one afternoon.

"Ooh. Ok. Visual not needed." He quipped as came behind her to rub her shoulders.

"Why don't you get off your feet for awhile? Go take a bath maybe?" He suggested.

"You know I like the water to be hot and I can't take a hot bath while I'm pregnant. It isn't good for the babies." She snapped at him.

Castle had rapidly learned that snappy, irritated, uncomfortable, nearly full-term Beckett was not the most pleasant person to be around. Then again, during those moments when they would lie together and caress her stomach, when they would feel their babies moving, he swore it was all worth it. It was during those moments when Castle swore that he loved Kate Beckett more than even he'd thought possible.

They both tried to see the positive aspects of their experience throughout the pregnancy. Tyson was now dead and the twins would be born into a world that was safer without him. Kate tried to see past the feelings of violation she still felt over the fact that the triple killer had impeded on such a private moment, the moment when they learned the sex of their babies. He'd invaded their space to learn intimate knowledge of their little boy and their little girl.

It was agreed upon almost immediately that they would no longer refer to them as Baby A and Baby B, Tyson had taken that from them. Thus, the push was on for them to pick names, Lucy was getting more creative ideas each day, and they needed to reach a decision soon. Still, the memory of Tyson loomed.

"Kate," Castle tried to comfort her time and again, "he's gone now and he can't take any more moments from us." He rubbed her back soothingly late one afternoon as they discussed the topic of names for their children once again. She sighed and nodded, allowing him to think that she'd accepted his words. The truth was she wasn't sure she'd ever truly get over the feeling of violation.

Learning the sex of their babies should have been their moment, something sacred. Instead she would always remember it with the knowledge that Tyson was there. He was there threatening and plotting. It was impossible to not look back on it with anything other than fear and anger.

"Names?" He spoke again, trying to bring her back from the darkness that she'd ventured into.

With a sigh she nodded, "Ok. Names." Castle was right; it didn't serve anyone to dwell on things that could not be changed.

He followed her up the stairs and into the babies' room. They'd decorated the nursery in a palate of soft greens and blues, keeping it as gender neutral as possible considering they were going to have one of each.

"So our little boy," Castle began "we'd discussed Jacob?" Seating himself in one of the two rocking chairs and running his hands along the smooth banister of their son's future crib, he waited for Kate to respond.

She nodded, "I'm torn because I love the name, and I love my grandfather…but…" She hesitated.

"But what?" Castle pushed, a grin on his face that indicated he knew what was coming.

"But you know I hate Twilight, and I don't want our son to go through life thinking he was named after that crap-excuse for literature!" She snapped. He thought his wife had a temper before, but it was nothing to compare with pregnant Beckett.

He couldn't help but chuckle, "Ok. So, do we want to pick another name?"

Kate stood, crossing the room to re-organize the supplies at the changing table, once again. She'd been in this room nearly every day, sometimes more than once a day, in her nesting frenzy. After re-lining the baby lotions and shampoos separate from the diapers and wipes, and folding burp rags in the middle to create a divide, Kate placed both of her hands on her stomach and turned to her husband.

"No. My grandfather was a great man and our son will have a great name. I'm not letting anyone else, least of all some stupid sparkling-vampire-obsessed fad impact this decision." She was resolute, but doubt soon crossed her face again, "that is, if you are still on board with it."

Castle smiled, "of course I am. I think it is a great name and I am glad to name our son after someone you loved so much. Besides, I think Jacob Roy Castle has a nice ring to it, don't you?" He offered. She smiled, and unable to resist Castle added,

"Although, I must inform you, the sparkling vampire was Edward. Jacob was a werewolf." He teased.

"And I still have access to a weapon." She shot back, shutting him up immediately.

Beckett soon smiled, "I do like Jacob Roy, and there aren't many names that complement Roy." They both felt it important to honor the man who had impacted their lives in such a powerful way. Despite his mistakes, Montgomery would always be a hero to them.

Castle stood from the rocking chair to cross the room and stand next to Kate, he rubbed her back lovingly and placed a kiss on her forehead. Reaching into the crib where she stood, opposite from Jacob's crib, he pulled out a stuffed lamb. Holding it against himself he turned to his wife again,

"Our daughter?" He questioned, knowing that her name was never a debate.

"Johanna." Kate smiled, taking the lamb from his hands and setting it on top of her swollen belly.

"Ooh! I have just the middle name too… Johanna Meredith! After my ex-wife!" He waited for her to elbow him and she didn't disappoint, as he broke into a chuckle.

"I could also remove your manhood?" She offered, a mock threat in retaliation for his suggestion. She placed the lamb back in the crib and turned to leave the room.

"Johanna Gina?" Castle shouted, "or how about we name her after Paula?" He couldn't help himself from adding.

As she exited the room she quipped, "Maybe our son will come out looking suspiciously like Josh."

"Not FUNNY!" Castle called after her, soon moving to follow her out of the nursery.

"Our daughter could come out looking like Tom, or Will…" She continued, "I think I saw that on Maury once, twins by two fathers." She offered, pressing his buttons just as hard as he was pressing hers.

"Perhaps she'll come out looking like Esposito…" She shot out coyly, earning herself a glare from Castle.

"I'm not sure what disturbs me more, that you suggest you've cheated with not one, but two or three of your ex-boyfriends, that you suggest our daughter's first word might be "Yo," or, and I think this is worst of all, Kate…that you just admitted to watching Maury."

"Well," Kate suggested, "get me off bed-rest already. Daytime television is destroying my brain cells." He laughed, turning her in his arms to offer her a loving kiss.

"You are sexy when you're trying to mess with my head." Castle offered her, kissing her once again. She paused suddenly, inhaling deeply and then letting out a sigh. She squeezed his arms and kissed him solidly on the lips before she spoke.

"I'm also in labor." She offered back.

He did a double take, "I'm sorry, you're what?" He asked her.

She smiled at him with an amazed and excited, if not a little apprehensive expression on her face and pointed to the floor.

Castle looked down to find a puddle at their feet.

"Did that just? Did you?" He was lost for words.

"Castle, go get the bag and call your mother. My water just broke!"


	15. Chapter 15

"Yeaaawww…Son of a bitch, Castle!" Her yell came, loud and sudden, filling him with a greater sense of urgency as they made their way inside the hospital and to the elevators. She stopped and bent over, grasping for his arm as she waited for a particularly painful contraction to pass.

He rubbed circles into her back, as if it would ease the discomfort she was experiencing."Remember, deep breathes Kate. In and out, deep breathes." His voice was soothing, as he attempted to coach her through the pain.

"Ok." She said, gasping for air, "that settles that." She inhaled deeply and looked him in the eye,

"We are never having sex again." He let her comment go, knowing better than to argue with Beckett, given her current state.

"We'll talk about it later." He commented, continuing to rub deep circular motions into her lower back.

"No. Not up for discussion." She returned to an upright position, the contraction having passed, "you and I?" she pointed between them, motioning back and forth with her finger, "are never having sex again. You're never touching me!" She shoved her finger into his shoulder hard.

"You and your super-fertile, multiple babies-sperm, can keep your hands to yourself!" She snapped, her breathing returning to normal again.

Deciding to change the subject, he ventured a comment, "You know, I'm surprised that the contractions are so intense this early on…and usually there is some labor before your water breaks." He added.

"Yeah, I know." She said in a matter-of-fact tone, "there was."

"There was what?" Castle questioned her.

"There was labor; I've been in light labor most of the day." She said it as if it was obvious, and that it wasn't news for him.

"You were in _what_?" He exclaimed, "Beckett, you didn't think it was necessary to fill me in?" He was incredulous. Although it occurred to him that he shouldn't have been surprised. Afterall, he was talking about a woman who, despite being full term and in labor with twins, had still argued to drive to the hospital.

Luckily he won that argument, citing a potential ill-timed contraction as enough of a distraction, should she be behind the wheel. _Damn it to hell, you stubborn woman._

"Do you remember the first time I told you I loved you to your face?" He thought about it for a minute and then added, "While you were fully conscious, Kate? Do you remember how I told you that you were maddening? This is what I meant by that…This!" He pointed to her swollen belly, to the labor she'd kept from him.

She rolled her eyes at him, taking his hand into hers and squeezing it, "I love you too Rick." She then went on to explain, "I knew we had time and I didn't see the point in spending the day at the hospital, waiting for my body to naturally do what it has been doing at home all day." She tilted her head to catch his gaze, waiting for him to meet hers as well.

Once he did she cupped his cheek, "Now we're here, and things are getting going." As she spoke she grasped his cheek suddenly, squeezing tight as another contraction hit. "Yaaa..ooooouuuuuccccchhhhh….Shit Castle!"

Deciding that commenting on her profanities during contractions would likely get him shot, and thanking his lucky stars that she was not armed at the moment, he led her out of the elevators and to the nurses' station.

As if reading his thoughts she yelled at him, "You should be so glad I'm not armed right now, Mr. Castle." Her glare was only half-hearted, as she reached out for him in the same breath. He supported her with one arm as they walked together down the maternity ward. They approached the nurses' station and flagged down help immediately.

"Hi." He spoke to a tall, middle-aged woman in scrubs. "My wife is in labor, and it's pretty active. She failed to tell me that she's been in labor all day and now her water is broken. I think she needs to be examined fairly soon." He tried to keep his voice level, but still got a kick to the shin when he commented dryly about her having been in labor all day.

"Good for you!" Her nurse spoke to Kate, "now you're ready to move things along. It's great when women get to pass the labor while going about their daily business. It tends to be more comfortable to be up and around anyway."

Kate gave her husband a self-satisfied smirk before she followed the nurse to a wheel chair. She got in and was soon taken back, ready to get herself settled in. _It's baby time_, she thought apprehensively to herself. She turned to Castle, reaching her hand out for his. He smiled as he leaned in to kiss her forehead,

"It's going to be ok." He soothed her, "I'll be right here with you the whole time. _Partners."_

She smiled at him thankfully, filled with gratitude that he seemed to know just what she needed to hear. She squeezed his hand and nodded. "Partners."

* * *

She was in bed resting, a monitor strapped to her stomach keeping track of her babies' vital signs as she concentrated on her breathing. Things had only picked up in intensity and by the time Alexis, Martha and Lucy had arrived Kate was transitioning; her body preparing for delivery.

Castle was beyond amazed. When Meredith had given birth to Alexis she'd screamed the whole time, and she'd had an epidural. Granted, he had never been through labor and would never begrudge his first wife's experience.

Still, he held Kate's hand as she breathed through each contraction, accepting no form of pain medication and moaning her way through the most painful parts. There were no screams or threats once she'd gotten settled, once she became focused on the task ahead.

Earlier in the evening the doctors had offered her an epidural, informing her that labor with twins would be exhausting and that something for the pain could help. They'd also warned her that she was rapidly reaching the point of no return.

"We just want you as comfortable as possible and most women find themselves unprepared for the pain." The doctor informed her, "I just don't want you to get in over your head."

Castle couldn't help the laugh he let slip at the doctor's words and slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle any further sound. He waited for Kate to respond to the poor, unsuspecting man.

"Doctor, I've been shot, stabbed, blown up, frozen, thrown off a roof and drowned, and that's just been within the last few years." She leveled him with a glare,

"She's being literal, too." Castle added for support, making it clear to the doctor that she wasn't mincing words.

"My mother delivered me naturally, and I was 9 pounds." She offered, "and I will do the same."

Castle understood that she wanted to do this without medication, that she wanted to share this experience with her mother, to feel closer to her memory. As long as her body wasn't regressing , his wife was going to push on through.

"Alright." The doctor responded promptly. "Then we will just watch you and the babies and let you continue to do as you are doing." Kate nodded and shifted her attention back to the work at hand, managing her labor.

* * *

As the hours passed they were joined by their family, Alexis entering the delivery room as Kate was reaching the end stages of her labor. Martha kept Lucy in the waiting room, wanting to keep the young girl from witnessing Kate in pain. They played games and colored together to pass the time, soon joined by her Aunt Lanie. When Alexis had moved to leave the room Kate grabbed her wrist, a pleading look in her eyes.

"You don't have to stay, but if you want to…" She offered the young woman.

Alexis beamed, honored to bear witness to the birth of her two newest siblings. She nodded and gave Kate a hug and kiss, keeping the detective in stock with ice chips and cool compresses. The doctor joined them when the pressure became too much and Kate was filled with the urge to push.

With Alexis seated beside her, holding her hand firmly and Rick now seated behind her in the bed, supporting her as she rested against him, the doctor's prepared her to push for the first time.

"Alright, Kate. We're going to deliver your first baby. When you feel the next contraction we want you to hold your breath and bear down. We'll count to ten and then you'll release your breath. " The doctor instructed her.

"We're going to take this one contraction at a time, ok?" The nurse added preparing herself to hold one of Kate's legs. A young nurses' aid stood on the other side, preparing to do the same. If Kate hadn't been so focused she would have found it amusing that there were so many people standing by to catch these babies.

Soon the contraction hit her and it started. She pushed with all her strength until she was told to take a break, the pressure lowering in her body and urging her to continue. Somewhere between the second and the third push Rick took both of her hands, allowing her to squeeze him as hard as she needed as her body worked harder than ever before.

The first baby arrived in a blur to Kate. She recalled hearing "It's crowining," at one point, and "you're almost there, one more shoulder." She had no idea how many pushes she'd given.

The pressure became unbearable and then with a pop and a gush, it was over. She collapsed against her husband's chest as they waited to hear the sound of their tiny infant cry.

"It's a boy!" The doctor exclaimed, passing the now wailing infant off to the nurses for cleaning and weighing. Kate couldn't control her body, shaking with an overwhelming sense of pride and love. _I have a son. My son. Our son_, she thought to herself in wonder. She couldn't see Rick's face, but Alexis was in tears, staring in awe at the tiny body… face red and fists balled as he screamed.

She felt Rick's embrace, his kisses to her temple as he whispered words of love to her, "You did it. We have a son, he's perfect Kate. Thank you. Thank you so much." His voice was filled with love and wonder as they both watched their son cry.

"5 pounds, 4 oz." The nurse informed them, wrapping the boy in a blanket and placing a cap on his head. She laughed in wonder, preparing herself to hold her son when another wave of pain shot through her body. _Oh God, I'm not done yet._ The thought passed through her as she was filled again with the urge to push.

The doctor shifted focus back to Kate, "Alright Kate, breathe. Breathe through it and we'll get ready to push again on the next one, ok?" She nodded, turning her head slightly to look at Castle. He kissed her lovingly. "You're my hero." He added, squeezing her lovingly.

She looked to her son, "Jacob." She whispered, pure joy filling her. She reached her hand out and placed her finger into his tiny palm, feeling his fingers wrap possessively around her. Alexis smiled lovingly, in awe of Kate Beckett.

The touch of her son was an amazing feeling and it gave her the strength she needed to prepare herself again. Before the next contraction hit she looked to Alexis, "You take care of him." She spoke, complete love and trust in her voice. She had never been more grateful for Alexis Castle.

"I've got him." Alexis spoke , cradling the boy lovingly. She remained close to her dad and Kate, allowing them both to reach out and caress their newborn son.

"You just focus on bringing his sister into the world safely." She spoke to Beckett, looking back at her baby brother in amazement.

Alexis had never experienced such an overwhelming sense of love and devotion and she knew in that moment that she would never be the same. She also knew that she would never view Kate Beckett in quite the same way again. The infant in her arms bonded them for life.

Kate felt the next contraction come upon her and prepared herself to push once again, "Alright, Johanna Castle, let's make this quick." She spoke just before she rode the wave into the full force of her contraction, counting with the doctors as she pushed with all her strength.

She drove herself to exhaustion, grounding herself in Castle's voice; His words of love and encouragement providing an anchor for her to focus on. She squeezed his hands and found her strength in his arms, just like always.

"You're doing so great, Kate..."

"Just a little bit more, love…"

" I'm so proud of you…"

" You're doing it Kate! Almost there!" He chanted to her as she continued to push yet again, loosing track of how many pushes she'd given to her second child and willing for that moment of release when she would feel her second baby finally release. Soon it came, with a similar pop and gush, she gasped for air as her body finally came to rest.

"You did it Kate!" Castle kissed her forehead as they both heard a second cry sound.

The doctor stepped back, staring at the infant and smiling warmly. "Alright guys, we've got a bit of a surprise here." Both Castle and Beckett watched as the doctor approached, and they both examined their baby, their beautiful baby.

They saw it at the same time and it took their breath away. "She has a penis." Kate stated in shock.

"That is correct!" The doctor noted excitedly, "_She's_ a _He_. It's another boy!"

"Two boys!" Castle was shocked, "they're both boys?" He stated his surprise again.

"How?" Kate asked incredulously as she watched the nurses clean and weigh their second child, their second son.

"5 pounds, 2 oz." The nurse informed them, wrapping up the infant and placing him in Kate's arms. Alexis soon followed suit, placing her brother in his mom's arms for the first time. She then placed kisses on each baby's cheek, as well as one for her dad and Kate.

"I'm going to go tell everyone that we've got two boys!" She exclaimed. Castle nodded with gratitude.

Castle and Beckett stared in awe at the lives they'd created. They were simply perfect, pale blue eyes that may or may not remain blue, and identical heads of unruly light brown hair. Kate had never seen anything as beautiful or perfect in her life. Her sons. Their babies were finally here, and they had two sons.

"How?" Castle asked again, continuing to hold Kate against him as he brushed his fingers against the soft cheeks of his newborn sons.

"There is always a chance of misreading the sonogram, especially if the baby is not in the right position, or if he's hiding." The doctor informed them, "sometimes they don't want us to know!" it was a joke, but both Castle and Beckett simply let the information absorb.

Rick's laugh startled her at first, but a satisfied smile soon crossed her face as she took his words in, "Take that Tyson."

He was right, in the end Tyson was wrong and the babies had the last laugh. "That's my boy." Kate whispered lovingly, placing a kiss on the forehead little baby Johanna…

"Oh." The thought struck her.

"We can't exactly name him Johanna, can we?" She spoke.

"That would be quite cruel." Castle acknowledged.

"I also don't think that Potato Chip or Baby B would be appropriate either…" He added.

"Not Johanna… " Kate spoke out loud again, taking in the perfect little face of her unnamed newborn son. "What is your name?"

Castle was quiet for a moment, as they both took in their second child, their tiny surprise. It hit him suddenly then, "We loose the hanna."

"What?" Kate asked, clearly not following his line of thought.

"Johanna without the Hanna." He spoke again excitedly._ Jo?_ she thought to herself, not liking his suggestion at first.

A smile spread across Kate's face as the meaning of his words finally set in. _Johanna without the hanna_, she liked the sound of it. Moments later the door opened, with a very excited family entering. Martha, Lucy, Alexis and Jim surrounded the family, Lanie staying back with the boys to give the family space.

"Hi." Kate spoke

"Everyone, meet our sons."

"Jacob and Jonah Castle."

Rick beamed at Kate's words. They were perfect.

**AN: What can I say. Tyson couldn't really have a complete invasion of that moment. Plus, I see Kate as a mother of sons here ;) There is still an Epilogue to come, including Lucy's reaction to "icky boys." **


	16. Chapter 16

**The Epilogue is written! Yay.**

* * *

Her heels clacked against the wet sidewalk, the umbrella only doing a modest job of keeping her dry against the storm. The wind blew the rain horizontally, making her wish that she'd worn a heavier jacket._ As if it would fit, _she thought sardonically to herself. By social standards Kate Beckett was still thin, but her baby weight prevented her from getting into some of her tighter clothing. This was especially true of tops, as she was still breastfeeding. Rick complemented her each day, reminding her that he thought she was beautiful regardless of, and perhaps because of the fact that she'd given birth just shy of 8 weeks ago.

The past two months had been a blur, and the loft was a mad house. Martha and Alexis were there often, helping with the boys and keeping Lucy entertained while Castle and Beckett caught themselves up on sleep. She loved her sons with all her heart, but sleep deprivation was something that she hadn't been prepared for. Sure, she'd known that not sleeping through the night was part of motherhood, but nothing could have prepared her for those little cries every 3 hours. Those were the good nights too, the nights where the boys were in sync with their feeding and changing habits.

Regardless of the exhaustion, of the sleep deprivation, dirty diapers and chaotic environment, Kate's heart swelled as she thought of her family. It had been an incredibly long and difficult day and she was ready to be home. She picked up her pace, eager for her husband's arms, her daughter's kisses and the sweet smell of her infant sons. Afterall, it had been her first day back at work and she'd longed to hold them in her arms and cuddle them. Being away from their sweet faces and their soft skin for an entire day had been much harder than she thought. Kate sighed as she thought back on that morning.

"_Beckett, you don't have to go back, you know?" He'd whispered to her softly as he paced the floor, bouncing Jacob slightly in the rhythm that seemed to calm him. _

"_Yes, I do." She asserted, "I love this part of my life," She kissed Jonah's soft forehead as she rocked him, "but I'm a detective and I'm not willing to give that part of my identity up." In spite of her words, Kate unconsciously held Jonah's warm swaddled body closer to her. _

"_I'm not saying never go back, Kate." He crossed the room to place a Kiss on Beckett's forehead, mimicking the gesture for baby Jonah's as well, "I'm saying give yourself some more time to get adjusted to this role." _

_Kate sighed, lowering her voice, "If I don't go back now, I'm afraid I never will." She admitted. _

_He nodded, understanding her need for something familiar in this time of change. _

"_Well then, the boys and I will bond today, and when Lucy gets home from school she'll help. We'll have dinner on the table for you when you get home." _

Still, she nearly didn't make it out of the house. Each step away from the loft tore at her heart even more, and it didn't get easier as the hours passed. Now that the day was over, her paperwork done and the sun setting behind the storm clouds covering the city, she quickened her pace. Kate needed to be home, she needed her boys and Lucy, she needed Castle.

Kate nodded politely at the door man as she entered her building, bringing her umbrella to a close and shaking the water from it slightly. She made her way to the elevators, pacing as they slowly made their way to her floor, to her home.

She opened the door to a variety of sounds. Martha was at the piano singing loudly, Alexis had a movie on and appeared to be typing away at her laptop, Lucy was banging on a pot loudly as she "helped" rick prepare dinner. Tiny whimpers could be heard from the _pack and play_ next to where Alexis sat. It was apparent that the red heads were on diaper duty while Castle and Lucy worked in the kitchen.

The noises of her family clashed loudly and she couldn't help but smile. She was home.

"Mommy!" Lucy called to her as she ran to greet her.

"Hi little one!" Kate offered, holding her tightly. She reflected once again at how tall Lucy was getting. "How was your day, love?" She asked.

"It was ok mommy. The stinky boys cried a lot, but then I got to play with them." She informed Kate.

Beckett smiled. When Lucy was initially informed that she would have little brothers and no sister she was upset. However, after a long talk with Alexis, she warmed to the idea. Her older sister explained that because they were little boys, Lucy would be the only princess. She soon warmed to the idea of being a princess, her loyal diapered servants becoming future playmates instead of just annoying brothers.

On more than one occasion, Lucy provided support to her parents. She sat on the couch quietly, holding a baby on her lap securely as her parents would calm another. She sang to them and kissed their foreheads, telling them all about life at the loft. She was also fantastic at keeping Mr. Peanut away from them.

"Are you and daddy making dinner?" Kate asked Lucy, lowering her back to her feet and making her way to where Alexis sat.

"We're making bascetti." Lucy informed her, causing Kate to smile at the young girls attempt at pronouncing 'spaghetti'.

"Bascetti!" Rick called excitedly from the kitchen before coming to stand behind Kate. She approached her sons' pack and play, watching the rise and fall of their tiny chests as she felt Castle's arms wrap lovingly around her from behind.

"How was your day?" He asked waiting for his wife to turn and face him.

"It is much better now." She smiled, leaning in to kiss his lips. Their lips joined and she smiled against him, coming back in to kiss him lightly several more times.

"Eew. Go to your bedroom." Lucy complained, causing her parents to smile yet again.

They looked down at the sleeping boys, curled around one another as if they were once again in the womb. Covered hands and feet, Jacob in mint green and Jonah in light blue, they rested.

"It is almost time to feed them." Castle informed her.

"Why would you wake them up?" Lucy was exasperated. "They cry and cry when you wake them up."

"Oh, baby. They just cry because they have lots to say and they don't know how to tell us yet." Kate rubbed her fingers through Lucy's hair.

"We have to wake them up now so that they can go back to sleep at night." She continued to explain.

"Well I'm going to go play with Mr. Peanut, with my music on… really loud!" Lucy spoke dramatically, earning herself an eye roll from her parents.

"She becomes more and more like my mother each day." Castle remarked to Beckett, who grinned wryly at him.

Alexis placed her laptop down, shifting her attention from the online conversation she'd been immersed in and raising to greet Kate, "Welcome home." She squeezed the detective's arm and smiled down at her little brothers. "I'll go warm a bottle." Kate nodded gratefully to Alexis.

As if on a timer, the tiny baby in green began to wiggle, noises coming from his mouth as he began to wake up. Swooping down quickly, Rick picked Jacob up, hoping that he could get him before he began to cry and wake his brother. He held the baby while Kate shed her Jacket, grabbing a modesty blanket from behind the couch as she unbuttoned her blouse.

By the time Alexis returned from the kitchen, Kate had Jacob in her arms. The boy had latched on to his mother's breast and was nursing happily. She waited for her dad to scoop up Jonah and get himself settled on the couch next to his wife. Smiling at her, he reached out for the bottle.

Breastfeeding with twins was quite the task, and thanks to bottles and pumps, was one that could be shared between parents. They leaned closer and kissed briefly, using care to not disturb the hungry infants in their arms.

* * *

Dinner was finished and the kitchen cleaned up. Lucy was snuggled in bed with Mr. Peanut and Alexis had returned to her dorm for the night. Martha was sitting on the sofa with a book and a glass of wine when Kate bid her goodnight. She sighed and collapsed onto the bed, removing her shirt and tossing it to the hamper.

When it missed Rick stood to gather the piece of clothing in his hands, tossing it into the basket from a much closer angle. He smiled softly as he took her in, exhausted in her pants and bra as she reached down to unzip her boots.

Silently he approached her, reaching out for her hands. She looked up in question and he simply motioned for her to follow. She reached out and let him pull her up off the bed, their hands joined. He brought her into the bathroom where she saw a bath drawn, filled with bubbles and waiting for her.

She sighed happily, smiling to him as she took in the dimly lit room, candles burning just for her. She felt him move to rub her shoulders. "You've had a busy day." He whispered, sliding his hand to the clasp of her bra. It released and she felt some of the tension leave her body.

He cupped her breasts, enjoying the rounder and fuller texture they took on as he moved to kiss her shoulder blade. He was sure to be gentile in his touch, respecting the tenderness that her body still experienced since the birth of their children. She let out a low, appreciative hum,

"You've had a pretty eventful day here too, I'm sure." She spoke as she allowed the back of her head to rest against his chest. The change in angle gave Castle greater access to her neck and throat and he took full advantage, working his lips along her skin.

He slid one hand beneath her jeans, caressing every inch of her body that he could reach with tender and intimate touches.

"Oh, I have." He spoke as he worked his warm hands across her body. "The boys and I were sharing secrets of being Castle men. That's three times the ruggedly handsomeness, you know." He informed her, his hands moving to push her pants down and off of her hips. She stepped away from him briefly as she slid the remaining clothing off,

"I'm glad you enjoyed your day with them." She smiled as she spun on him, pulling his t-shirt up and over his head. She made it clear that she wanted him naked alongside her, and soon they were stepping into the tub.

Once in the bath she relaxed against his body in the warm suds, smiling contently as he worked her shoulders and arms with a wash cloth.

"Tell me about your day." Castle prompted her, brushing her hair to the side to expose more of her skin. He grazed kisses along the side of her neck as he waited for her to speak.

"Hmmm…" she moaned in response to the combination of cool air and warm lips against her neck. "It was long. Way too long."

Indeed, it had been a long day. Kate Beckett found that she'd been so preoccupied with getting back to work, with re-claiming that part of her identity that she'd underestimated how difficult it would be. At best she was distracted, at worst she was depressed.

She missed Lucy in the days, but because the girl was in school was in school Kate found it easy to distract herself with her cases until the end of the day. This was different though, she knew that during the day her babies were home, they were tiny and vulnerable and in need. Her body ached for them.

"You know," She began to speak again, "I trust you with my life. I trust you with our family, and I certainly trust you as a father." She hesitated.

"I'm sensing a 'but', Kate." Castle prompted her

"But I didn't think it would be so hard to be away from them…from you." She admitted, feeling Castle wrap his arms around her and hold her even closer to him.

"I swear, it physically hurts to be at work, and all I can think about is getting through the day and coming back home to you Castle. It's even worse because I don't have you there with me."

He took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully. "Kate…I know that being a detective is part of who you are. I know that bringing justice to those without a voice is what you do, and there isn't anyone better at that than you. I would never ask you to give that part of yourself up, and I don't think you have to…but it is so early… and the boys…" He hesitated once more, "you know you don't have to go back."

"I know." She affirmed. "That's why I told Gates that I wasn't ready today." She admitted softly.

"You did?" Castle was shocked. He felt her nod.

"I'm not ready to be away from our family yet. I know how to be a detective, and it will always be a part of me, but I want to focus a bit on being a new mother. Infants are something entirely new to me Castle, and I don't want to miss a second of our sons' lives, of Lucy's life. Gates understood and allowed me to take all of my vacation time in addition to my remaining maternity leave."

He couldn't suppress his smile, his joy at the prospect of having Kate safe with him for a little longer, regardless of how much time that would be.

"Lucy is going to go crazy with excitement." Castle pointed out, causing Kate to smile brightly.

"I might just pick her up after school tomorrow and surprise her." She suggested.

"Kate, are you sure about this?" He asked once again.

"Rick, I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

She leaned her head back and met his lips tenderly, secure in the love they shared for one another and eager to start the newest chapter of their lives together.

**The End.**


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